Harry Potter And The Ascent Into Darkness
by VVSINGOFTHECROSS
Summary: Harry has been entered into the Triwizard Tournament, and danger lurks around every corner. Can he survive? Harry Potter AU.
1. Goblet

Albus Dumbledore felt the ache in his bones that signalled his advanced age, yet the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry knew that he was in no mood to quit just yet. There were many things to come, and he would be needed to helm the offensive when they came. For now, though, as he surveyed the chattering great hall, he knew that the time for such thoughts was later, when all was done. Clearing his throat, he pressed his wand to his throat and whispered. "Sonorous." The spell heightened the sound of his voice. "Ladies and Gentlemen, students, teachers, and all guests. Thank you all for coming tonight, the food has been most delicious." On the Gryffindor benches Hermione Granger harrumphed, Albus smiled, that would be an interesting conversation. "Tonight, we are here for the choosing of the champions. Mr Filch will now bring the Goblet of Fire front and centre." The old caretaker limped forward and placed the goblet on a table constructed just for that purpose. "Three names shall be chosen for the three schools competing. When a name is chosen, the goblet's flames will turn blue. The champions are to get up from their seat and walk into the waiting area, passed the teacher's table." He gestured with his free hand. "Now, let us begin the process." His wand is aimed at the goblet, flames sprouted. A hush settled over the hall.

The flames turned blue and a piece of paper came flying out landing softly in his hand. "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour." A cheer came from the Ravenclaw table, and the girl stood up and walked to the waiting area. Albus did not miss the smile that Hagrid sent Madame Maxine, and he sighed internally, that would not end well.

The hall had fallen silent once more, Albus felt himself take a deep breath. He had run every check imaginable on the goblet, as had Barty. They were determined to prevent Voldemort from placing Harry in the tournament. Cornelius might want to bury his head in the sand, but Barty was a forward thinker, and Albus was more than happy to play on his ambitions of being Minister once more, if it meant protecting Harry. The flame turns blue and a name shot out. "The champion for Durmstrang," Albus said, pausing to add to the sense of drama. "Is Viktor Krum." A loud roar echoed from the Slytherin table, as Viktor Krum stood up and walked to the waiting area. Albus nodded his approval. Before the hall could fall silent, the blue flame appeared again, and another paper shot out. "The champion for Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory." Another loud cheer came from the Hufflepuff table, Cedric was a good boy, a smart boy and he would do Hogwarts proud. Albus smiled at him as he walked passed, then turning back to the hall at large said. "Good, all three champions have been chosen…" He trailed off as the goblet awoke for a fourth time and his stomach sank. This would not be good. He looked at Barty who himself looked shaken. The blue flame appeared and a fourth name landed in his hand. "Harry Potter…." He whispered, not quite believing this, how had this happened? Louder he said the name again. "Harry Potter." The hall is deadly silent, then Harry stood up, looking shaken and confused, Albus could only look at him blank faced as the boy walked into the waiting area. As the hall erupted into whispered conversations, Albus looked at the Gryffindor table, and saw that Ronald Weasley looked murderous. "Very well. The evening feast is at an end, prefects, please take your charges back to your dormitories. Madame Maxine, Professor Karkaroff, Alastor, Minerva, Barty and Severus with me." With a swish of his cloak, Albus turned from the table and walked to the waiting area. He could hear the others arguing, but did not care, right now he needed to sort out Harry.

They entered the waiting area, Harry looked stunned. Albus stopped before him and asked. "Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No Professor." Harry replied, his voice trembling in fear.

"Did you get any of the older students to put your name in the Goblet?" Albus questioned.

"No." Harry replied.

"Well of course he is lying. The famous Harry Potter, he could not stand not being in the limelight." Igor said, his voice scathing.

Alastor opened then. "I highly doubt that. The charms and spells put in place to prevent the Goblet from being conned, were highly complicated, they could not be over ridden by a student, regardless of age or ability."

Albus silently agreed with Alastor, but kept his opinion to himself. Olympe spoke then. "You cannot be expecting him to compete Albus, surely? He is but a child."

Albus wished with all his might that he could agree with Olympe, but he had a feeling he knew what Barty would say. Albus turned to the man in question and asked. "Barty, you are familiar with the rules, can Harry be taken out of the competition?"

Barty shook his head ruefully. "Unfortunately not. The rules are clear, now that Mister Potter's name has come out of the goblet he must compete."

"This is a scam. Your talk of building friendly relationships was a lie. You want two champions, to make up for the defeat you suffered in the forties. Well, in that case, I want two champions also, or I shall withdraw." Igor threatened.

"Withdraw will you eh Igor?" Alastor replied, his tone threatening. "Run away more like. You know that you would not be here if it was not for Albus and for Barty. Do not threaten the people responsible for your survival."

Albus saw the murderous look in Igor's face, and remembered that Gellert had taught the boy once. He raised a hand to silence all. "I am afraid that is not possible Igor. You have brought your champion, Harry's case is most unfortunate, but as Barty has just highlighted, he must compete now. We have settled this; I suggest that the champions retire to their dorms now." Minerva shot him a disapproving look, but he would handle that later. "Minerva take Harry and Cedric back to their dorms. Igor and Olympe, I suggest you do the same with your champions."

Barty pushed in then. "The first task will occur on the fourteenth of November. Be prepared for that." The champions nodded and then walked out of the room. Albus knew he would need to speak with Harry soon enough, but first, there were other things he needed to handle.

"Alastor, can you head to your classroom and ensure all is well there." Albus said trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. His old friend nodded and hobbled off. Once the man is gone, Albus turned to Barty and said. "Barty, you are welcome to stay here for the night if you wish."

Barty shook his head. "Unfortunately, there are some things I need to take care of back at home. I shall be back at Hogwarts for the first task though. And I am terribly sorry about this Albus."

Albus nodded his head in response. "Very well." He watched as Barty walked out of the waiting area, then the moment he was certain that they were alone, he turned to Severus and asked. "I would have your opinion on this Severus."

Severus looked tired, and Albus knew that with what had just happened the potions master would not be getting much sleep. His voice was appropriately strained. "I am not sure. We ran every check we could possibly think of on the Goblet, we put every sort of spell on it, to ensure that none would dare think to do something like this, and yet it still happened. I am not sure how it happened, but I do think that sometime between it getting to the Ministry and leaving it was tampered with."

Albus nodded in agreement. "You know what you must do."

Severus sighed. "I do." With that the man bowed his head and then straightened and walked off, leaving Albus in the waiting area.

Albus stood there for a long moment, and ran through everything that had happened in the past few weeks. The goblet had arrived from the ministry on time, it had passed the scan test, and it had sat deep within the castle until Albus himself had gone to get it. It had passed another scan test, and…Albus placed a hand on his hand in realisation. Of course, that would be one way to do it. He had always underestimated the boy when he had been here, but then, the boy was supposed to be deep within Azkaban. Albus sighed, there was no point thinking about that now, it had already happened, ensuring Harry survived the tournament was the most important thing. He walked from the waiting area, at a brisk pace, the castle was deserted apart from a few ghosts. He kept a brisk pace until he reached his office, he gave the password. "Sherbet Lemon." And then walked up the steps when the gargoyle moved aside. As he got into his room, he called out. "Fawkes." The phoenix appeared at his side. "Tell Sirius that what we feared has happened and that he should prepare accordingly." The phoenix blinks twice to show that he got the message and then he disappeared in a cloud of dust and smoke. Albus coughed slightly, then walked to his desk. Sat on a chair which had once been his father's he begins writing two letters, one to an old friend of his, and another to Cornelius. The letter to Cornelius is finished relatively quickly, whilst the other letter takes some time to compile, eventually satisfied with it, he looked over it.

 _Dear Palamedes._

 _I hope the plumes to which you have devoted such time are safe, and that you shall soon be returning to our shores. It has been too long dear friend. We must ensure that things are not as they were when last you were here._

 _But that is not the reason for my letter._

 _You were there when the Goblet was made, I ask you, is it possible for it to be interfered with to think the rules have been changed? Even if the spells of binding are placed by one of the order?_

 _Regards_

 _L._

Satisfied with the letter, Albus folded it and addressed it to his friend, doing the same for the letter to Cornelius. He then stood, and walked out of his office to the owlery, where his favourite owl rested. Fixing the letter for his friend to the owl he sent her off. He then placed a blanking spell on the letter for Cornelius, then attached it to a nondescript owl, sending that owl off. He watched as the two owls disappeared, sighed, then turned and walked back to his office. There would be a long day ahead, for them all. Knowing as he did that they would not be asleep, he summoned Frederick and George Weasley to his office and sat them down. "Harry will be in difficulty soon. I wish for you to keep an eye on him."

The twins nodded in silent agreement, before he sent them on their way. Saddened that they will be made to choose between Harry and their brother in the short term, he cursed Tom for doing this, for there could be only one person who would endeavour for this to happen. Albus recognised the fact that soon, he would need to inform Sirius and Harry about the prophecy and the consequences of it. It is not a conversation he looked forward to having. But it is one he should have had many years ago now, perhaps things would have changed if he had done so. Perhaps Aberforth was right.


	2. Yes, Minister

_Dear Minister,_

 _I am writing to you regarding the imprisonment of Sirius Black, the last surviving member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, Marquess of Pembroke. It has come to my attention that there were several lapses of judgement under the old administration when it came to the handling of Sirius Black and his supposed murder of those twelve muggles. Of course, we are all aware that it was a difficult time during the aftermath of He Who Must Not Be Named's fall, yet Minister Bagnold did not hold a trial for the Marquess of Pembroke, and that is something that greatly worries me._

 _I am sure that you are in agreement with me that this serves as a lapse of judgement on the former Minister and is a stain on the reputation of the Ministry. With the peace that came following He Who Must Not Be Named's fall, one can understand the relief and the euphoria would have ensured that no serious investigation was done. Yet, now that Black has gone and the Dementors are acting strangely, one must think to investigate the events leading up to Lord Black's arrest and imprisonment._

 _Yours Sincerely_

 _A Concerned Citizen._

Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, put the letter down, sighed, picked the letter up and handed it over to Amelia Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and asked her. "Have a read of this Amelia, tell me what you think of it."

Cornelius watched as Amelia scanned through the letter, then read it again. His mind raced with activity. He could not quite remember the downfall of He Who Must Not Be Named and the chaos that followed. Oh, he had memories of celebrations and lots of toasting to Harry Potter, but barely anything other than that. He remembered the scandal that had emerged when Barty Crouch's son had been found as a Death Eater, but nothing about Sirius. Amelia put the letter down and said. "Whoever wrote this letter has a point." Cornelius raised an eyebrow at her. "There was no trial. Sirius Black was thrown straight into Azkaban after he was arrested."

That hit hard. "Good heavens, why?" Cornelius exclaimed. He had heard the rumours, that Black had been named Secret Keeper and then betrayed the Potters to You Know Who, he had never quite been sure of it though. He remembered Black from their days at school, Black and Potter had been joined at the hip, Black had unlike his brother and cousins hated Slytherin and the Pure Blood ideology, or at least the darker elements of it. Yet, to avoid an even bigger scandal he had followed the advice of several advisors and kept the hunt for Black going.

Amelia's voice cleared his train of thought. "Bagnold wanted Black punished. I think she had held a grudge against his father and mother, for their rejection of her daughter's suite for their son Regulus' hand. Black was an easy target, he was raving mad at the time he was captured, and did not come too until it was a year later, and everyone just wanted to move on."

Cornelius felt his mouth drop open. "Are you truly telling me that the reason that the head of one of the oldest houses in Britain did not get a trial, was because the Minister for Magic at that time despised the man's family, and wished to deal with them out of spite?" He remembered Arcturus Black, the man would never have stood for that.

As if she had heard his thought, Amelia said. "Arcturus had all but abdicated his responsibility to his son and daughter in law. They were the head of the House of Black by then. Arcturus was old and decrepit."

Fudge ran a hand through his hair. "So, to summarise, the head of one of the few originals left in the Wizarding World in Britain was imprisoned without a trial, and no one, not even you or I, or even Albus thought to change that?" As if by saying the man's name, Fudge shot up. "Albus! He must have known there was no trial, that was why he was so insistent that I listen to Potter and his Friends. Yet why did he wait for that time to bring it up, why did he not bring it up before?"

"It is likely that Albus did not think that there was anything wrong. After all, there was a law that your father had proposed a few months before Black was arrested, that stated that Secret Keepers who broke their oaths should be thrown straight into prison. Perhaps Albus realised that that was a mistake. Did you not say that Potter and his friends claimed Pettigrew was still alive?" Amelia asked.

Fudge shifted uncertainly. "I did yes. Yet they could not provide any substantial evidence to me, so I dismissed it." He ran a hand through his hair again. "This is truly worrying; we cannot have a noble such as Black running around without facing a trial. Do we know where he is?"

"Scrimegour says that last reports had him somewhere in Italy, or France. Most definitely nowhere near where it is believed dark magic last was sighted." Amelia replied.

Cornelius shivered slightly at the hint in her words. He dismissed them again and said. "Very well. I want you to open the Black file again, dig for every single detail you can. Take as many Aurors as you can and head to all of Black's old haunts. But do it discreetly, I do not want the Prophet getting word of this." Heavens knew that Rita would make short work of this.

"What will you do about the man hunt and the posters?" Amelia asked.

Cornelius could have groaned in frustration then. The damned posters, they were Malfoy's suggestion, after all Malfoy wanted to claim the Black lands and inheritance, and it would suit him to keep Black a wanted man. "I will have them rolled back. They will be removed from Hogsmeade and the area around the school. Put Thicknesse on it." That would likely satisfy the oaf's pride.

Amelia nodded in satisfaction. "Very well."

Cornelius sighed. "Also, Amelia, whatever you find, I want you to bring directly to me, no one else, do you understand?" No doubt Albus would try and get involved the moment he learned about this.

Amelia grinned. "Of course Minister." With that she got up, inclined her head, then walked out of the room.

Cornelius grabbed his wand which had been lying on the table, and pressed it to his throat. "Dolores could you come through please." He placed his wand back on the table once more.

His secretary opened the door and walked in, bowing her head before taking the seat recently vacated by Amelia. "How might I help, Minister?" Umbridge simpered. She was useful, but a pain the behind.

"Tell me, you are related to the Selwyn family are you not?" Cornelius asked.

"I am Minister." Umbridge answered, looking confused.

Cornelius inhaled, then exhaled. "How closely related are you to the Selwyn family?" The Selwyn family were one of the original families, and likely had many cadet branches, but there was something important about Selwyn and Black that he needed to know. It was nagging at the back of his mind, but he could not quite place it.

Dolores to her credit, does not seem completely phased by the question. "The Marquess of Salisbury is my second cousin, through my father. Why do you ask, Minister?" There was a flash of arrogance in the woman's face, and for a moment Cornelius felt himself bristle at the implication, his family had once been powerful, Dukes and then Earls, but they had fallen before Cornelius had himself arrested the fall, they were Viscounts now.

"Tell me, if someone of the Selwyn family was arrested, and they were implicated in a heinous crime, what would the reaction within the family be?" Cornelius asked, hoping the woman would ask a question before replying.

As expected, she does. "Which member of the family?"

"The heir or the second in line to the titles and lands." Cornelius replied.

"Then they would mount a very stringent defence of the person, unless sufficient evidence came to light that the person in question had done something wrong." Dolores replied.

Cornelius nodded, he had expected as much, and Dolores clearly did not see the link between this and what he and Amelia had talked about. He was under no illusions about the woman, he knew she had one ear to the door half the time. "Very well. One final question." The woman leans forward, clearly expecting more to do with the Selwyns that would allow her to show off her heritage. Having decided against satisfying that urge of hers, Cornelius asked. "How are the reports about relations with the werewolf communities coming along?" He knew that Dumbledore wished for that report to get published so that his prodigy Remus could return to Britain properly, but there was another reason Cornelius wanted the reports published, he wanted to make a point. Briefly, the image of brown hair and pleading green eyes flashed before him, before he forced it down.

"The reports are coming along very well, Minister. The final draft should be ready for your perusal within three days. I will follow up with Percival Weasley and ensure he has that all done and dusted." Umbridge said.

Cornelius nodded. "Very good." He paused, then asked. "On that note, how is young Percival getting along?" The man was certainly bright, there was no denying that, and unlike his father he had a hunger for power, and advancement, the boy would be very useful in the time to come.

"As you said Minister, the boy has a hunger for knowledge. He has thrown himself into the reports with much zeal. I think having Mister Lupin as his tutor in his final year at school, really helped him in this regard." Umbridge replied, the last part said with some disdain, Cornelius had to fight hard not to remind her, but then she would not know would she.

"Good, keep him on for another three weeks. If Barty does not need him for the tournament any time soon, then offer him a permanent position." Cornelius said, the raising of Umbridge's eyebrows indicate her surprise. "We need all the talented people we can get, Dolores." Cornelius said reprovingly.

The woman looked abashed and bowed her head. "Of course, Minister."

Cornelius harrumphed with satisfaction. "Very well, you may leave." The woman got up, bowed her head, then straightened and walked out. Once he was left alone, Cornelius turned his attention to the letter had as per his instruction fallen to the side compartment of his table when Dolores had entered. He picked it up and read it again. Evidently this was a warning, should the news get out, that Black had not received a trial, the nobility would be up in arms, and his head would be decorating a spike somewhere on Tower Hill. He sighed again, placed the letter on the table, and picked up a paper and quill, and began writing a response.

 _Dear Sir/ Madam,_

 _Thank you for the letter. I have taken your advice to heart and am following on with the lack of a trial. If you could provide any information that you have, that would be most invaluable._

 _Yours Sincerely_

 _Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic._

The letter finished, Cornelius stood up, and walked to the owl, which had delivered the letter to him. He rolled his letter into a scroll, tied it securely, before fixing it to the owl's leg. The owl would know where to deliver his owl to, it was one of those owls. Cornelius, walked with the owl on his arm, opened the window, and allowed the owl to fly out. He watched it briefly for a moment, before he turned away, and sat back down at his desk. The game had begun.


	3. Boy Who Lived

Harry sighed as Hermione sat down next to him, the ground was deserted, it was early morning, the only time he could get some peace from the maelstrom of people who booed him, or cheered him. The only time he could be him, and if Hermione caused a swooping sensation in his stomach, well that was all for the better. He looked over at her and smiled. Her brown curls were all over the place, showing how she'd recently woken up, her clothes were not as pristine as they usually might be, again a sign of how recently she'd woken up and how early it was. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Harry spoke. "Thanks for coming out so early Hermione. I know it can't be easy, having to do this here, and now, but I appreciate it."

Hermione smiled at him, and Harry felt a light tingle in his stomach, it was a pleasant feeling, even if it was slightly disconcerting. "No worries, Harry. I couldn't sleep much last night anyway." Hermione replied having raised and lowered a shoulder.

"Oh?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised. "Why, what was bothering you?"

"I'm not really sure, just couldn't sleep all that well." Hermione said, suggesting that it was something she did not wish to speak about right now. A thought was only further confirmed when she opened her History of Magic book, and looked at him intently. "Right, we should really get started on this. So, what part of the syllabus are you struggling with?"

Harry groaned internally, he did so despise History of Magic, Professor Binns was the only teacher, he could think of who had made being dead, sound more boring than it possibly could be. He straightened his shoulders and then said. "I think it's mainly the Goblin rebellions. Every time Binns opens his mouth, I fall asleep. It's not really the most interesting of subjects." Which was a shame, as Harry had quite liked history when he had been at primary school, and he knew that wizarding history would be twice as interesting.

It appeared Hermione shared his view, for she smiled sympathetically. "Well, I think it would be best if we start with the goblins, as they are what we're focusing on right now. From there we can move on?"

Harry nodded. "Sure."

He watched as Hermione flicked the pages of the book before them to the relevant page number and then began reading. "In Seventeen Twenty-Four, the first true goblin rebellion since the age of Merlin began. The root causes seem to have been the rape of a Goblin girl by a wizarding man, and the rape of a wizarding girl by a group of goblins. The Goblins claimed that as the goblin girl was raped first, they had the right to do as they did. The Minister for Magic at the time Damocles Rowle was most angered by this, as the girl who had been raped by the Goblins was his own daughter. The Minister refused to bow down to the Goblins whims, and stated that as they had agreed to the Treaty of York in Sixteen Eighty-Eight, they were bound by wizarding law and therefore had to submit for execution. The Goblins demanded the human responsible for the damage done to one of their own, do the same, Rowle and the wizarding community refused, and so the first rebellion began." Hermione took a deep breath.

"So, the first goblin rebellion in over a thousand years started because a wizard couldn't keep it in his pants?" Harry asked, torn between horror and disgust. "And, I thought there was some law against the races mingling together in that manner?"

Hermione nodded. "There is, which is why Rowle was so furious. Not because a wizard that done something to the Goblin girl, but because the goblins had dared to cross over and do something to a witch, who was also his own daughter. It is a startling display of hypocrisy from what was usually quite an enlightened minister at the time."

Harry nodded, and then prompted Hermione. "What happened next?"

"The goblins met at their annual conference, or witan as it was known then, and their leader, a Goblin who was roughly six hundred years old and had fought against the Muslims during the First Crusade, declared that the wizards had lost their right to inhabit the island and so they were going to war." Hermione said.

"He declared that wizards and witches had lost the right to live here because of a decision that they did not like?" Harry asked astounded.

"Yes." Hermione replied. "There has always been dispute between the different magical races as to who actually came to Britain first. The Goblins claim that they were always here, whilst the wizards and witches claim that humans were here before them. Centaurs argue they were here before the goblins and humans both, and that they came with Scotia." As if realising that they were getting side tracked, Hermione cleared her throat and continued reading. "The war that followed was a brutal one. Many thousands on both sides died. Goblins could not use magic but they knew how to sneak into the wizarding world undetected, and they controlled the money. Many noble families were hamstrung by the loss of access to their accounts. Eventually, the goblins were defeated when Arthur Potter, Earl of Carlisle stepped forward and slew the Goblin chief. After that the goblins agreed to the magical bindings on the Gringotts accounts which allowed only the head of the families to access their money. They also submitted to punishment. It was this punishment that led to the second goblin rebellion in seventeen forty."

Harry digests the information, then one piece of it stands out to him. "The champion of the wizards, his name was Arthur Potter?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, it says here he was a prominent member of the Wizengamot, a cousin of the main branch of the House of Potter, and a man who would go on to achieve great things. He was only seventeen when he defeated the goblin chief."

Harry blinked, that was something. He never knew he had relatives who were any sort of nobility, let alone earls. Tentatively, he asked. "I know this isn't what we agreed we'd talk about Hermione, but do you think you'd be able to tell me a bit about the wizarding system? I mean Ron," Here he has to pause, the thought of Ron is still too painful. "Ron, did tell me a little, but he didn't really explain it properly."

Hermione closed the book, and placed it down on the ground. She looked at Harry with one eyebrow raised, and when Harry nodded, she took his hand, a sign of friendship, something they'd been doing more and more of lately, it sent a nice thrill through him, but Harry ignored it. Hermione did not see him that way, whatever way that was. Hermione cleared her throat, then spoke. "Wizarding society is very old, how old it is, no one knows. But it has always been there lurking in the back of every great moment of society. Egypt, Greece, Rome, medieval kingdoms and modern society all have come together through magical interference, though not directly. During the beginnings, it was decided that there would need to be ranks for the noble families, so as that they might be able to distinguish themselves from other wizards and witches. The richest families took the rank of Marquess, usually because they lived on the marches or borders with other realms that were usually quite quarrelsome. Then there were Earls who were below Marquess families, and owned a lot of land, and had helped create the laws of the wizarding world. Then there were Viscounts, who had held the position of researchers and clerks during the initial phases of the wizarding world. Then there were barons, who like the bloody baron were fighters and scrappers, finally came the knights who held the position of guards. One rank was usually sworn to the other in what became known as the chain of command."

Harry wanted to ask about the Weasleys, but that would mean speaking about Ron and truth be told, that is a bit too painful now, and he did not want to lose the feeling of Hermione's hand in his. Instead, he asked. "Does this system still apply now?"

Hermione bit her lip in a manner that showed she was thinking and thinking hard, it was quite a cute look for her, Harry had to shake the thought from his head, what was wrong with him? "I believe so yes." Hermione replied, apparently unaware of the war of thoughts going on in Harry's head. "I think that is how the wizarding world still functions. The noble families sit in the Wizengamot and decide on the laws for the rest of Britain. Not terribly fair or equal, but it is how it goes I suppose."

Harry nodded, then gestured at the book with his free hand. "So, this Arthur Potter, he would've been a law maker, would he? As an Earl?"

"That would have been his original role yes. But whether that was his role at the time I do not know. Wizarding history books are not very clear on whether the roles remained the same for the ranks or whether it evolved, as it did in the muggle world." Hermione replied, and then she pulled her hand out of his, and Harry felt the loss. She picked the book up and opened it up again. "I think there might have been something else about Arthur Potter in the book, but I am not sure."

Intrigued, Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder, and mouthed a spell for name searches, that he'd found in a book a long time ago. The book turned to the relevant page. Hermione looked at him curiously, and he blushed slightly. "I learned the spell during a Charms lesson, in third year, I got bored."

Hermione laughed, then looked down at the page the spell had stopped at and read aloud. "Arthur Potter, Earl of Carlisle, most famous for defeating the goblin chief during the first goblin rebellion, disappeared from view for many years. Eventually, he resurfaced in the annals of history in a Wizengamot session being held not in London as was traditional, but in Edinburgh. At the session, Potter argued strongly for the case of Werewolf integration, stating that his friend Lycos was not a threat to wizarding society, and that if they continued to persecute werewolves, they would feel the full wrath of the community. He was ignored, and three years later, Lycos, and his pack of werewolves led a devastating attack in the Ministry, killing hundreds, before establishing their puppet Porteus Knatchball as Minister for Magic."

"Wasn't Lycos a King of the Werewolves in Greek mythology?" Harry asked, a vague memory of reading that in some dusty tome as a child, played strongly in his head.

"Yes, cursed by Zeus. This Lycos was likely a descendant of some sort." Hermione replied.

"Really? I thought werewolves could not have children?" Harry asked as he remembered something Professor Lupin had told him at the end of last year.

"I am not sure, all I know is that Lycos is said to have had children, and they had descendants. Whether that means they bit lots of people or not I do not know." Hermione replied. In the distance a bell tolled. "Breakfast, crap, I said I'd have it with Lavender and Parvati today." Hermione looked at him apologetically. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Harry replied. "I need to go and check up on Hagrid." That was a lie, he knew where he was going, but he wasn't going to mention that to Hermione, she might tell Ron, and that would make things even more awkward.

Hermione squeezed his hand briefly before she got up and hurried off back to the castle, leaving Harry to sit and watch the school slowly come to life. Eventually, he got up, and walked not to the castle, but toward the direction of the Forbidden Forest, where he stood for a long moment breathing in the air, and hearing the song. When the song finished, he turned and walked back to the castle, his stomach was growling.


	4. Black

Sirius thought over the message Dumbledore had sent through again. Harry had been entered into the Triwizard tournament, how they did not know, and it was driving him mad. Sirius knew that Dumbledore had done everything he could to make sure something like this did not happen. Yet it had happened. Voldemort had to be the one responsible for this. Sirius knew from speaking with Dumbledore last year that the snake face was still alive, out there somewhere, and now had Wormtail with him. Now that the rat was there, things would be even more difficult, Wormtail was not smart, but he had a low cunning, perhaps that was why he had gotten the jump on Sirius all those years ago, the thought still rankled. He shook his head and looked at Moony, his friend was sat there staring into space. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Moony looked up, blinked and then sighed. "Tired. I think I finally understand why my father was always so on edge during the time when the moon came, and there were hundreds of things he needed to do."

Sirius grimaced sympathetically, he had met Remus's father, the man was kind and caring, but his role in the Ministry had meant he was always juggling things. "I suppose we should get some sleep." He suggested, knowing that such a thing would not happen.

As expected Moony shook his head. "No, we both know neither of us will be going to sleep. We might as well talk about it." At Sirius's raised eyebrow, Moony clarified what he meant. "Harry being entered into the tournament. I know Dumbledore said he's looking into it, but he's got a lot of other things to worry about, and the rules state he cannot aid Harry too much. So, we must ensure we cover the bases."

Sirius nodded. "Alright, so Voldemort most definitely entered Harry into the tournament. No doubt the thing is trying to bring himself back to power. The question is how he could have done it. Dumbledore put the age spell in specifically to prevent one of those fools in Slytherin from doing his bidding, so, perhaps it is a member of the staff?"

Moony looked thoughtful. "A member of staff would be my guess, but the question is who."

"Snape." Sirius said immediately, he snarled a little at the raised eyebrow Moony sent him. "What? We both know the man was a Death Eater, he practically lived it up with Mulciber and Rookwood at school, and I fought him numerous times during the war. That Dumbledore protects him doesn't mean that he isn't one of them."

"I think Albus would know if Snape was working for Voldemort in such a manner, after all, Snape has to report to him about everything, does he not?" Moony asked.

"Dumbledore overlooks things, and he misses things. He missed Wormtail until it was right in front of him. No, I think if Snape is the one who did it, he would know exactly how to do it and to ensure that it was never traced to him, he would blame someone else." Sirius replied, thinking of their fourth year, when Voldemort had gone after the Bones family, through someone at School, Sirius had always thought it was Snape, but he'd never been able to prove it.

Moony ran a hand through his hair. "True, though the question then arises, as to how we prove that? I am not convinced it is Snape, but we cannot rule him out."

"Dumbledore did say that Snape had helped place wards around the trophy and the goblet, and yet Harry had told me briefly that Snape did not like him. Snape also detested James, Harry looks so much like James, Moony…" Sirius trailed off, the pain of that thought was still such a deep ache in his heart. He had missed out on so much, when he found the rat, he was going to make him suffer.

"I know Padfoot." Moony said. "I had the same thought when I was at school last year." His friend grimaced, Sirius knew that Moony still blamed himself for preventing Sirius and Harry to talk to one another properly, and so he reached out placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Moony smiled gratefully. "I think we need to consider Snape, but explore options as well. Who was in Azkaban who had a contact in the School, who might have a bone to pick?"

Sirius mulled over the question, then it hit him. "Malfoy just about avoided Azkaban, and Bellatrix is in there, but she does not have anyone in the school, not from what you've told me about the staff. There was Rookwood, and he had a contact there, but I am not sure if he did."

Moony's eyes narrowed then. "Who?"

"Astoria Strange, I think her name was." Sirius replied. "I saw it on the map once, when I was there last year, she worked for Selwyn's nephew during the first war. I think Malfoy put her there in Harry's second year. She was very much about Voldemort." He shivered then, a memory of the woman speaking about making love to the evil man pushed itself forward, he pushed it down.

"Strange could be someone to consider." Moony agreed. He ran a hand through his hair. "I think we will drive ourselves mad looking into this though. Perhaps we should do as Dumbledore suggests, and focus on bringing you back to Britain a free man."

Sirius nodded. He brought some papers out to rest before them. "So, these papers state that Fudge is looking into something relating to the night James and Lily died. It seems someone has tipped him off as to the miscarriage of justice that I got." He could not help the note of bitterness that crept into his voice then. Moony did not say anything about it thankfully.

"Yes, I think we've got enough evidence here to suggest foul play. Bagnold really did not like your parents, did she?" Moony asked.

Sirius shuddered briefly at the memory of his parents. "No, no she did not. I cannot blame her really. But she should have known better, her son was in our year at school. Old William was an alright person, if a bit up himself." That was an understatement, William Bagnold had been a prat, who James and he had delighted in hexing at various points.

Moony snorted in acknowledgement at that fact. "Indeed. Still, the fact she is now dead, will likely mean that she will get away with whatever Fudge has planned. Which still leaves the actual scene of the crime." His friend hesitated here. "What can you remember about it?"

Sirius thought back to that night, finding James and Lily's cold bodies, holding Harry, the grief he had felt then comes rushing back. He swallowed, his voice hoarse. "I had a feeling that something had gone wrong, Wormtail was supposed to report in every hour to ensure that I knew what was happening, he didn't show up, and there was no word from James or Lily. I apparated to their house to ensure everything was okay, and when I got there…" He trailed off, the pain making him clench his side. "The house was in ruins, the fidelius clearly destroyed it when the spell was broken. James was lying on the ground near the stairs, his wand was near his body, on the sofa. Lily was lying in front of Harry's crib; she was so cold…" He closed his eyes then, trying hard to fight back tears. "Harry was there, in his crib, looking up at me with fear in his eyes. I picked him up out of the crib, and walked with him down stairs, doing what I could to make sure that he didn't see his parents' bodies." He hadn't wanted his godson to see their bodies, he hadn't wanted to see their bodies. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and found Remus looking at him with a strange expression on his face. "I walked downstairs, I felt numb, I did not know what happened, then Hagrid showed up. He said he had been given orders by Dumbledore to take Harry away, I didn't want to give Harry up, but I knew that Wormtail would be nearby, he would want to be rewarded for what he'd done. I gave Harry over, and then I watched Hagrid disappear, I gave him my bike. Told him I wouldn't be needing it." Sirius had been convinced that he would die then, he had wanted nothing more than to die. He had charged out of the house, his wand drawn. "I found Wormtail on the street, he transformed back into his normal form. He pleaded with me for reason, to listen to him. He begged, he started shouting. Muggles got onto the street to see what was happening, he then cast an explosion spell, you know the one we had taught him in second year, and he killed those muggles. Before I could right myself he was gone. The next thing I knew the aurors were there. Moody was there."

"Moody was the auror who brought you in?" Moony asked sharply.

"I think so, I don't remember much of what happened after that." Sirius replied, then he noticed the downward turn of his friend's eyebrows and asked. "What? What are you thinking?"

"I remember speaking with Moody around three weeks after you were arrested. He mentioned he was there, or he was about to go to where you were, he didn't believe that you had done it, that you'd killed Peter or betrayed James and Lily, but he got called away on some other business." Moony replied. "I think Crouch told him to head off somewhere else, to handle the Rowles."

"What happened to the Rowles?" Sirius asked, if only to not have to focus on his grief.

"There had been an attack on their house. You know Sigurd never took the mark, nor did his son, yet they worked with Voldemort during the war. It seemed that some of the Death Eaters felt Sigurd was responsible for their master's downfall, they tortured him and killed him, they left Thorfinn a broken kid after that. He was bruised and broken. He barely spoke for years afterward. Moody told me he was head auror on that case. He could not have been there when you were being brought in." Moony pointed out.

"Then why do I have a memory of him being there?" Sirius demanded.

"I do not know." Moony admitted. "Perhaps you are confusing what happened that night with something that happened later? Moody did say that he went to visit you in Azkaban, but that you barely made any sense."

Sirius nodded, he had gone mad for a time, before he had come to, by that point he was there for life. "I think he did, I remember him asking me something, but what it was, I do not know. I saw Crouch and his wife come in to visit their son. Miserable pair of roaches those two were. Crouch looked as if he beat his wife."

Moony snorted. "I think he might well have done. After his son was captured, there was a lot of reporting on him and his home life. Turned out he abused his wife, and he had abused their son. He was never viewed the same again, had to go on leave for a period of time before returning. Of course, when he did return, everything went back to normal."

"You're not telling me he was given power immediately after he returned?" Sirius asked horrified, he thought Bagnold had some sense.

"No, not power, but he was named head of an office and worked from there. There are rumours he might run for minister again, when Fudge's time runs out. He might well win this time." Moony replied.

Sirius sighed. "Exactly what we need, another idiot running around with zealotry." As he said that, a thought came to him. "I'm going to try something." Moony nodded looking a little anxious. "Kreacher." He called out.

The House Elf appeared, broken and beaten, but surprised to see him all the same. "Master Black. You is not dead then?"

Sirius laughed. "No, I am not. I want you to go to Narcissa and say one thing to her, she will understand what you mean. Wait for her to give you something and then return."

"Yes master." The elf replied.

"Tell her, Clarent." Sirius replied.

The house elf nodded then apparated out. Sirius turned to look at his friend. "Clarent?" Moony asked.

"A key, a key to proving my innocence." Sirius replied. Wondering why he had not thought of this before.

The hours ticked by, Sirius and Remus played a game of cards, a game of dice, and then Kreacher appeared, holding a small little box. "Mistress Cissy said that she had kept it safe for you, just as you liked Master." The elf handed over the box and then waited.

"Good, you may go." Sirius said dismissively. The elf disappeared. Sirius turned to Remus and opened the box, pulling out a small piece of paper. "This right here, is the written contract, the agreement of who would be secret keeper, and the magical signatures." He saw Remus smile, and he knew they were one step closer to achieving success.


	5. Twins

"If he's going to keep dodging us, we're going to have to do some more digging on him." Fred said, trying desperately to keep his voice soft and even, knowing as he did that Ginny was sat next to Ron on the other side of the common room.

"But what sort of digging?" His twin asked. "If we really go looking for something, we might stumble on a whole pile of things we don't want. Remember that time we found out Lockhart was a fraud and he nearly hexed us?" George shivered.

Fred looked at his twin and said. "Yeah but Lockhart wouldn't have been able to stun us properly, his spell nearly backfired. Regardless, we must get our money back, and Bagman will cough it up." Something must have showed on his face, for suddenly George looked quite concerned.

"What are you thinking about doing Fred?" His brother whispered.

Fred turned and watched as Ginny huffed at their younger brother and walked away to her dorm. "We're going to have to find something to use against him, and we're going to have to make it clear to him that we will give it to Dumbledore."

"Why Dumbledore and not Fudge?" George asked.

"Fudge is a fool, we both know that, and besides Bagman has only survived so long at the ministry because Fudge likes having a successful star there. It's the only reason Malfoy has lasted so long." Fred said, distaste evident in his voice.

George sighed. "That is true." Then suddenly his eyes widen and Fred watched as his twin ruffled through his bag, before pulling out an old court record. In answer to his raised eyebrow, George hurriedly explained. "I found this lying on Dad's study table a while back, it mentions Bagman being involved with Augustus Rookwood back during the First Wizarding War, and it says that he might very well have handed information off to him in a manner that was not so unwilling as one might have first thought."

"You have this gem, and you're only just showing it to me now?" Fred demanded outraged.

His twin looked slightly abashed. "Well you know, I didn't think Bagman would hold out on us for so long."

Fred nodded, and then asked him. "Dumbledore asked us to look out for Harry, if you've got that article there that states that Bagman did things for Rookwood far more willingly than he admitted to during his questioning, do you think that means?" He left the questioning hanging in the air.

George as always knew where he was going. "I don't know. I mean Bagman seems like a nice guy, a bit thick, and we know he has gambling problems. But to really do something as dangerous as that? I don't know."

"Well pass the thing here, I want to have a look at it." Fred demanded, his twin handed over the article and he read through it, recognising his dad's handwriting.

 _Ludovic Bagman, a member of the England Quidditch team, had stated previously that any information he might have given to Augustus Rookwood was done unwillingly, or unsuspectingly. The man presents an aura of being a bit of a buffoon, and yet, recent research suggests that there might be more to Bagman than the image he presents to society at large. The discovery of Joyeuse is indeed most concerning, especially as it links Bagman with Salazar Selwyn, and others within You Know Who's innermost circle. I recommend proper surveillance and proper research into Bagman and his father._

Fred stopped reading the paper, and looked at his twin. "Joyeuse." That was a term they'd not heard in years, his father had been fascinated with the old wand of power, as had Bill when he was a kid. And now their father had found it with Bagman, that was insane. "You don't think?"

"That Bagman was playing both sides, so that he could get a good price for the wand? I don't know, knowing him the thing was likely a fake." George replied.

"Do you think?"

"Dumbledore knows about this? Yes, I think so. I think Dumbledore knows more about Bagman then he is letting on." George replied.

Fred mulled over this new finding and then said. "We might need to write to Percy you know."

"What?" George's eyebrows shot up. "Why?"

"Percy's boss knew Bagman back during the first war, Percy knows Bagman, and he was going on about how inappropriate it was for Bagman to be acting as a judge. Maybe he knows something about..." Fred held up the piece of paper to make his point.

George nodded conceding the point. "That is true, do you think we should write to Dad?"

Fred shook his head. "Nah, if we write to him, he'll know we found the paper. You did duplicate it right?"

"Of course." George replied.

The portrait into the common room opened and Harry walked in, he looked somewhat bedraggled, his tie was askew and his hair was ruffled. Fred raised an eyebrow at him as he walked by, but Harry shook his head. Fred followed the kid and watched the dark look that was exchanged between him and Ron, and sighed. He turned back to George and gestured to Ron. "We need to go speak with him." His brother nodded. Fred gave the paper back to George who put it in his bag, and then they got up and walked over to Ron. Sat either side of him, Fred began to speak. "So, why don't you tell us what's up, Ron?"

Their brother looked at them as if they'd grown second heads. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong, everything's just great."

"Come on now Ron," George said. "Don't be an idiot. We saw the look you and Harry exchanged, you haven't spoken to him since his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. So, what's going on?"

"You don't honestly believe that he put his name in there?" Fred demanded, his patience wearing thin already.

"No of course not." Ron said hurriedly.

"Then what's going on?" Fred asked, finding that his patience was slowly returning as he took in his brother's strained face and nervous hands.

"I…I…I guess it's just frustrating." Ron replied. Fred raised a questioning eyebrow, and his brother ambled on. "I guess you know, I just thought for once this year, Harry wouldn't be going through some sort of shit fest, and that perhaps he might actually get to be a student you know. That we might get to do normal stuff."

"If that's the case, why aren't you telling him this? Why are you still giving him the cold shoulder?" Fred demanded, fighting off the urge to hit his brother around the head. George shot him a reproachful look over Ron's head.

"I don't know how to." Ron replied. "He said he didn't put his name in the goblet, but he's not acting as if he's not enjoying the attention. You saw that interview he gave to the Prophet? He was milking it!"

"Do you honestly think that was Harry, Ron?" Fred asked. "Come on mate, you know him better than that. The shit that was in that article was likely all embellished by Skeeter so she could sell more papers."

Ron sighed. "I know, I guess. But at the same time, that didn't stop Mum writing to me, demanding that I spend time with Harry talking about his feelings and all of that. I mean, doesn't she know he doesn't like talking about his feelings, about his parents? I mean he barely brings that stuff up anyway. Why would he do that now?"

George spoke then. "Have you stopped to think that perhaps the reason why Harry never speaks about his parents or his feelings, is because you never asked? I mean, he's spent the past three years doing everything you've wanted to do, and we know from when we went to get him two years ago, that he's never exactly had friends before. He doesn't want to be rejected. Did you ever think about that?"

Ron's face fell, then his eyes hardened. "Are you taking his side then?" The accusation came out heated.

Fred stared at Ron. "We're not taking anyone's side you muppet. We're merely pointing out the flaw in your logic. You and Harry are friends, yet you're acting like a bunch of girls. Act your age, and talk to him, and sort this out. Otherwise you will regret it."

Fred suspected that he should have worded that a bit softer, his brother stood up and snarled. "Well if you're just going to join the Harry Potter fan club, I guess I won't bother talking to you either." With that Ron turned and stormed upstairs.

Fred stared after the trailing form of his brother and groaned. "He really is a bit of a git."

George sighed. "He's young, Fred, I'm sure he'll come around soon enough."

"You shouldn't have called him a muppet." Fred and George whirled around to find Hermione standing there looking at them both with her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean? He is acting like a muppet." Fred pointed out.

"Well yes, but you don't say that to Ron. Surely you've noticed that he doesn't like it when his faults are laid bare before him? I think if you'd phrased it in a softer manner, he might have reacted better." Hermione stated.

"I'm not going to mother him, Hermione. If he's acting like an idiot, I have a brotherly duty to point that out to him." Fred replied. "Surely you don't think he's acting in the right way?"

Hermione shook her head. "Of course I don't. But I don't think calling him a muppet is going to do much to encourage him to talk to Harry." Before Fred could voice another protest, Hermione sat down on the chair in front of them and asked. "What do you know about the Potters?"

Fred glanced at George out of the corner of his eye, he knew a lot about the Potters, every Weasley did, they'd been allies during the war, but their father had said not to mention anything to Harry about it. Fred was not a fool, he knew that if he told Hermione, she'd tell Harry. Cautiously, he asked. "What do you mean?"

Hermione sighed. "Come on, Fred. Don't be an idiot, I know you know a fair bit about them. I know the Weasleys and the Potters worked together against You Know Who, and I know they worked together against Thaddeus Morgan. And I am sure you were told stories about them when you were growing up. So, what do you know about them?"

Fred was quite impressed with Hermione, he always was, truth be told, she was smart and a quick thinker, he could see why Ron and Harry were friends with her. He snuck a quick look at George, who nodded slightly, and then began speaking. "You're right the Weasleys and the Potters were allies, we fought alongside them, or at least Mum and Dad did during the First Wizarding War, and before that we worked together to bring down that mad man Morgan. James Potter used to come around to the Burrow on a Friday evening during the school holidays, Dad was a few years above him, and our uncle Bilius was in his year. Then I think Lily Potter was named as George and I's godmother, Mum and Lily got on quite well, and Lily and Mum worked together for a bit of time at Saint Mungo's."

"So, why haven't you told Harry this?" Hermione demanded.

Fred ran a hand through his hair. "Because our dad told us we couldn't. He said we needed to let Harry come to us if he found anything out. And also, because we don't want Harry to be friends with us simply because his parents were friends with ours, we want Harry to be friends with us because he wants to be."

Hermione nodded as if she understood, though Fred suspected she didn't. "And what do you know about Arthur Potter?" She asked carefully.

Fred got up then, as did George. They made their way to the boy's dormitory and as they did so, Fred turned and looked at a confused looking Hermione. "Don't look into that Hermione, you won't find anything good there. But if you must, the password is Estrella." With that he and his twin walked to their dorm, leaving Hermione behind.


	6. Hidden Treasures

Cornelius Fudge was sat at his desk, there was a stack of papers that needed to be looked at before the next Wizengamot meeting, but he found that he did not want to look at it. Instead, he had summoned Amelia to meet with him to report on what she had found. It had been two weeks after all, surely there must be something. He looked at her, and he could see the lines of tiredness on her face, crow's feet under her eyes. He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure you know why I've asked you Amelia. Have you found anything?"

Amelia was a powerful witch, she'd faced off against Voldemort once during the last war, and gotten away with her life, though her parents and brother Edgar had been killed. Why Voldemort had come after her none knew, but she was powerful and a valuable ally. "I have. A piece of parchment was passed to our office, handed in anonymously. On the parchment, there was a written record of Peter Pettigrew being named Secret Keeper for the Potters, with both Sirius Black and James Potter's signatures on it."

Cornelius straightened. "Do you have the document with you now?" Amelia nodded and handed it over to him. Cornelius read it eagerly. It was a simple document, one that straightened out the change in secret keeper and why. As he read it he could see the reasoning behind it. Pettigrew was not the most remarkable of men, he was always following behind Black and Potter, everyone in the wizarding world knew that. It was a stroke of genius to name the boy as secret keeper, throw people off, someone would go for Black and he'd be able to handle them, whilst Potter and his wife and son were safe. Clearly something had gone wrong. "This is good." He said handing the document back to Amelia. "But it does not do everything to clear Black's name." He held up a hand as Amelia went to speak. "Yes, I know that it corroborates his account, but why would Pettigrew turn? He was loyal to Potter and Black. I remember MacMillan once thought he was in love with Black."

Amelia's mouth hardened, then relaxed. "I think you might want to have a read of this, then minister." She passed him another batch of documents.

Cornelius was slightly disgruntled that he had to look at another stack of papers, but at the same time if it meant that he could make his own life easier and pin the blame on a dead woman, then he would. He read through the documents, noting Scrimegeour's handwriting, as well as Arthur Greengrass's handwriting. He stopped when he came to Pettigrew's name. He looked up at Amelia, saw her nod, and exclaimed. "They suspected Pettigrew was a death eater?!"

"Yes, something Greengrass overheard when he was out at a bar one night. It seemed one of the lower down Death Eaters had had a bit too much to drink and was boasting to a Selwyn that he had convinced Pettigrew to join. Naturally, most people laughed him off, everyone knew Pettigrew was attached to Potter, and thought, as we all did that he would not betray Potter. But Greengrass did some digging, he spoke to his cousin, and his cousin confirmed Pettigrew had been present at a muggle torturing ceremony that occurred in Hampshire." Amelia replied grimly.

"So, why was he not brought in immediately?!" Cornelius demanded. Wondering how Greengrass and Scrimegour could have let such a golden opportunity slip through their fingers.

Amelia sighed. "Bagnold and the council overrode them. Told them Pettigrew was to be left alone. That he was to be considered nothing, and that if anyone of Potter's group was a suspect it was Black."

Cornelius felt anger rise inside him at Bagnold's continued prejudice against Black. That woman would've answered to him, if she were not already dead. Then the last part of what Amelia had said hit him, he swallowed nervously. "She got the council involved?" Amelia nodded, and Cornelius felt his heart sink. The council was never involved in things unless it was deemed absolutely necessary. What game had Bagnold been playing? "Why?" he asked.

"None of those papers say why." Amelia gestured at the papers Cornelius still held. "But, from what research Scrimegour has done, it seems that Bagnold was friends with Pettigrew's father. Seems she might have done him a favour."

Cornelius would have sputtered with outrage at the corruption, if he had not done the same with Lucius some time ago. He placed the papers on the table before him, ran a hand through his hair and then said. "Everything I've read in those papers points to some sort of internal conspiracy going on within the Ministry during this time, and if Pettigrew's father and Bagnold were involved, then things have just gotten more complicated." He could see the scandal forming now, and he sighed, placing a hand over his eyes, he rubbed them, trying to soothe the ache that had appeared suddenly. He removed his hand and stared at Amelia. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Something we can use to definitively nail Pettigrew?" The Pettigrew family was an old one but a minor one, the scandal for them would do nothing for the Ministry, for Cornelius, it would work.

Amelia seemed to be lost in thought, her brow was furrowed, her eyes were flitting from the papers on the desk to him, and back again, eventually she spoke. "I think if we use this document," here she holds up the signed confession of the change in secret keeper. "And we use the knowledge that Pettigrew was marked as a suspect, followed by some proper investigating into Bagnold and her friends at the council, we might just get things sorted."

The thought of involving the council worried Cornelius greatly, they were very powerful, and not to be trifled with. "I'd go for Bagnold. The council, will be handled by me." He said in what he hoped was an authoritative voice. "Make sure you find proper links between Pettigrew, Bagnold and the Death Eaters, nothing else will do."

Amelia nodded, and then at a nod from him stood up and bowed her head before she straightened and walked out. Cornelius slumped in his chair, his head was beginning to ache. He would need to speak with Arthur about the council, no not the council, about Pettigrew, Arthur would've been there when Potter was growing up, properly, away from school. He would know more about Potter and his line of thinking. Yes, Cornelius thought to himself, that made sense. He smiled, happy. There was a knock on the door, he stood up, and opened the door himself. "Albus." He said happily. "Do come in, do come in." The older wizard walked in, in a swish of robes. "Do sit down. What can I do for you?" He asked, proud that his voice did not quaver, the old man scared him.

Dumbledore waited before Cornelius had sat down, before he spoke. "I wanted to ask you about the dementors."

Cornelius is surprised, he thought Dumbledore would ask about Black. Schooling his face into as blank a mask as possible, he replied. "What about them?"

"Can you trust them?" Dumbledore asked.

"Trust them? Albus, they guard the prison for a reason. They keep the vermin in, and the good people out. They have not allowed anyone to escape, apart from Sirius Black for the entire time they have been guarding Azkaban. I think that answers your question for you." Cornelius replied.

Albus looked at him over his half-moon spectacles, and Cornelius felt as if he were a school boy again, about to receive a lecture. "They have held the prison because it has suited them to do so. But answer me this minister, do you think that they would not turn should Voldemort offered them the chance to do so?"

Cornelius stared at Dumbledore, he admitted to himself that that had been a fear of his when Voldemort had been around, but the man was dead now. "You Know Who is dead, Albus. He will not be coming back, nor do I think will anyone side with him should he ever return from death." That last is said with a touch of sarcasm.

Albus' face hardened. "Cornelius, Harry has been entered into the Triwizard Tournament. The scans of the Goblet reveal no manner of tampering, evidently there has been some though. The manner in which he was entered, reminds me of Thaddeus Morgan and what he did all those years ago to Charles Potter. Or do you need another history lesson?"

Cornelius shook his head, he remembered well enough what had happened. "So, let us say for a moment that You Know is still alive, and say that he does indeed want Harry, why would the dementors go to his side? They did not venture over to his side the first time. Why would they do so now?"

Albus did not answer his question, instead he asked another one. "When you go to Azkaban to check everything, how do you feel?"

"Cold and miserable." Cornelius replied. "As does everyone who is near them." He pointed out.

Albus shook his head. "Millicent felt alive when she was near them."

Cornelius stared at Albus. "She was a Ravenclaw though!"

"Indeed, she was. The dementors could not affect her, not in the way they would, you and me. She felt alive and they stayed at Azkaban because of that. Now they stay there because of the prisoners we have provided for their consumption. But should Voldemort return, and mark my words he will return, they will go over to him. The darkness they share is too great to ignore." Albus stated.

Cornelius suddenly felt very old. "What do you suggest I do? I cannot get rid of them, the public would have my head. But I see what you mean, they cannot be allowed to stay, not when there is danger." He refused to admit that You Know Who was alive, but the reminder of Thaddeus Morgan was too clear for him to ignore.

"I suggest you find other guards, who can block out the dementors. My suggestion would be the hydras of Greece; they are known to be particularly resistant to dementors. And I think they might well like the bleakness of Azkaban." Albus supplied.

Cornelius sighed, Hydras would be expensive, and he'd need to explain it all. "I will consider it." Albus made to get up, but before he could, Cornelius asked. "Did you know that Sirius Black was not the secret keeper for the Potters when they died. Peter Pettigrew was."

Albus' face was blank, his words calm. "I did. Sirius told me, before he escaped."

 _You mean before you let him escape._ Cornelius thought derisively, aloud he said. "That changes a lot of things regarding his arrest. Furthermore, I think that we might well be onto finding some sold evidence for why Pettigrew is the true criminal not Black."

Albus nodded sagely. "Good, very good Cornelius. I would advise looking for Peter as well. Perhaps around the Little Hangleton area." Cornelius nodded and Albus inclined his head before he got up and walked out of the room.

Cornelius watched him go, and then it hit him. "Dolores." He called out. His secretary rushed into the office. "Contact your cousin, tell him to meet me at here in three days." The woman looked surprised but she nodded and hurried off to make the relevant communication. Cornelius slumped down in his chair, and sighed. It was going to be another long week. The excitement he had felt when he had first been named Minister had abated, and now he was buried under piles of work, and the nagging feelings he had had when he was a child kept returning. If You Know Who was alive, then his job was about to get a lot harder. He sighed, and poured himself a glass of whiskey, he downed it in one, and poured another.


	7. Longbottom

Harry rubbed his arm again, and grimaced at the pain that shot through it. Defence Against The Dark Lessons had become ever more practical as they came closer to the first task, though whether that was because Moody had helped Harry, or simply because Moody was a sadistic bastard, Harry did not know. All he knew was that going through the cruciatus curse had hurt like a bitch. Neville was at his side, in a rare moment of compassion, Moody had allowed Neville to excuse himself from the lesson, and Harry was dying to know why. Neville looked rather forlorn, as he always did in the aftermath of such lessons, and so Harry cleared his throat and said. "You know, I honestly think the Chudley Cannons might beat the Winchester Warriors in their next game." He'd found a radio left on his bed the other night, tuned to the wizarding sport's channel and he'd overheard Ron and Seamus talking about the game the next day, so it had not taken him long to figure out who had left the radio there. Why Ron hadn't come and talked to him yet, he did not know.

He pushed that thought away as Neville responded. "I think the Cannons have a good keeper, but how could they not, when he used to play for Gryffindor." There was a smile on Neville's face, which prompted Harry to smile as well. "But the Warriors have two of the best chasers in Britain. They're constantly there, pressing and pressing for breaks, and usually they get them. When they played the Arsenal Argonauts, they won within around forty minutes, simply because the chasers kept pushing, and when they weren't doing that, their seeker was looking for the snitch in places where nobody would have thought to look."

Harry nodded, he didn't know much about the local quidditch scene, one of the many problems of growing up in the muggle world, he thought bitterly. Still, there was something to be said of being a champion. "I think Krum said something about coming over here when he had finished school, to try out for one or two of the teams here. Where do you think, he'll go?"

Neville's face straightened into a line, then he said. "I think he'd likely go to the Arsenal Argonauts, their seeker is about to retire, and they need someone who is as quick as Krum is, to stand a chance of winning the league next year. Or he might head to the Edinburgh Eagles, they've got a good team, but if Krum went and joined them, they'd be unbeatable."

The Edinburgh Eagles? Hermione had mentioned that she'd read something somewhere that said his relative Arthur Potter had played for the Edinburgh Eagles, before he'd had to retire to take up his title. Harry wondered what would happen if he wrote to them, to ask about the man. There was surprisingly little about him around that he could find. Shaking his head slightly, to clear that thought from his head he nodded. "I suppose that is true. Though I wouldn't put it past the other London teams to try and get Krum. He is quite good on his broom, and his reflexes are quite good, even if he is a bit slow otherwise."

Neville snorted, and Harry relaxed a bit more, he wondered not for the first time why he'd never spent more time with Neville. "What are the other champions like?" Neville asked his voice filled with genuine curiosity, not the biting tone Ron had thrown at him, the night his name had come out of the goblet.

"They're good. Fleur is a bit high strung, but she's French, so I guess you can't really expect anything different." Harry replied, smiling a little at the grin on Neville's face. "She's also a quarter Veela, which is why I think so many of the guys are falling for her."

"Not you though?" Neville teased.

Harry laughed. "Oh heavens no. She's older than me, and besides I think she has a thing for Cedric."

Neville laughed as well. "Well more's the pity, I've heard Cedric and Cho Chang might be a thing now."

Harry nodded, wondering at the slight tinge of jealousy he felt. "Yeah, I have heard that as well." He took another breath then continued. "Krum's alright. He's not much of a talker, he just sort of sat there during our last interview and mainly grunted out words. He prefers to use his actions to convey what he thinks." Which was fair enough when he thought about it, Skeeter could be an absolute pain in the arse. "Cedric is a good lad, he's been friendly, and he's the champion I've spoken the most to." They'd spoken about quidditch, which was where Harry had gotten more of his local knowledge from, and they'd talked about the school and how they felt at home here. It had been a good talk.

Neville seemed happy enough with that explanation, for in the next moment he changed the topic of conversation. He picked up a book and said. "Moody gave me this book after one of the first lessons we had with him. Said it would be very useful for me in Herbology this year, and he was right. I've found it fascinating you know, there's so many different types of plants that have similar or completely different uses. You'd think we'd be inundated with different types of plants to research, considering how keen Sprout is on the thing, but we're not. I've done a bit of reading, and discovered, that's because if we were to do it properly, we'd never leave."

Harry wasn't all that interested in herbology, but he nodded along and then asked. "What do you mean we'd never leave? Surely they wouldn't keep us in a class room forever?"

Neville grinned. "Well, there are a lot of plants, some of them require specialist skills. If Sprout had her way, it's likely we'd all be learning about them. Because you know most of the people here have farms to tend to."

That surprised Harry, but he nodded all the same. "I see, and why is it then that we're not?"

"Dumbledore. It seems he doesn't want too much time spent on those sort of things, unless you get special permission. But I know my gran would never let me do it. She doesn't approve." Neville replied sullenly.

Harry nodded sympathetically, he could appreciate not being allowed to do something by a relative. He felt the temptation to ask Neville where his parents were, but resisted the urge, knowing that if Neville wanted to tell him he would. Instead, he asked. "Is there anything else in the book that you've discovered and found useful?"

Neville's face scrunched up into thoughtfulness then, before he replied. "Yes, actually. Gillyweed. It's a type of substance usually found in the lochs of Scotland, or it can be made in a potions lab. If a person eats it, they have an hour's worth of ability to swim under water without having to come out to breathe for air. They get gills which allow them to breathe, and they get webbed hands and feet. It would be brilliant for a little venture with the giant squid."

Harry grinned. "Well, if the second task involves going underwater I'll be sure to keep it in mind." He looked at his watch and swore under his breath. "Listen, Neville, sorry mate, but I've got to dash, I'd said I'd meet someone now."

Neville nodded, and said quietly. "Just be back before Ron gets here." The message was clear; their dorm mates didn't want another silent confrontation between them. Harry understood it.

He got up, and hurried out of the dorm, he walked down to the portrait of the Fat Lady, said the password, and walked out. He then proceeded to hurry out of the area toward the library, it was getting dark, but he knew his way around the school, he could walk around the place blind folded if he had to. Eventually, he arrived at the library, and found Hermione there waiting for him. He nodded to her and then sat down at her side. "Well, what was it you wanted to meet with me about?" He noticed that her hair was slightly messy, and that her face was flushed. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"I…Viktor…nothing." Hermione said hurriedly, whilst Harry felt a pang of jealousy, of course Viktor would have had something to do with it. Hermione hurriedly spoke. "I did a little reading, and I think I've found the dragons that are likely to be there and why."

"Hermione," Harry whispered. "I already know what dragons are going to be there. Chinese Fireball, Welsh Green, Hungarian Short Snout, and the Hungarian Horntail." The Horntail would likely try and kill anyone who was foolish enough to come near it.

"Yes, but do you know why they've chosen dragons?" Hermione pressed.

"No." Harry admitted, then he felt slightly abashed, Sirius had told him to take any and all leads he could, to stay alive, and here he was trying to dismiss one.

"Well, I think I do." Hermione pressed onward. "In twelve ninety-four, the champions faced dragons, and the dragons were guarding eggs, the eggs were related to what they had to do in the next task. In sixteen ninety, same thing, and again in eighteen nineteen." Hermione looked at him expectantly.

"So, I'm going to have to get an egg and ensure that I don't get killed in the attempt. Why do they want us to get an egg?" Harry asked.

"Usually, the second task involved linking with the first and with something special to the champions. But I can't find any examples of what that might be." Hermione replied sounding frustrated.

Harry nodded, knowing exactly what he would consider special, and then shaking the thought away from his head. It was evident that things weren't going that way. Instead, he asked. "Do you think Madame Maxine would have told Fleur?"

"Yes." Hermione said without hesitation. "What Hagrid was doing showing her the dragons I don't understand." At a raised eyebrow, she hurried on. "I understand him showing you the dragons, but her? She's not exactly the friendliest of people, nor has she been that friendly to Hagrid or any of the other teachers here."

"What do you mean? Hagrid seemed smitten with her, when I saw them." Harry replied.

"Well of course he would be." Hermione replied. "Madame Maxine is just like him, and she seems to share some of his interests. But really she's been talking badly about him and the school with her students, I overheard some of them talking about the school and laughing about it."

"You speak fluent French?" asked Harry, both impressed and terrified.

Hermione blushed a pretty pink and replied. "I speak a little, we used to go to the Alps for Christmas when I was younger. That's how I learned. But anyway, Hagrid really risked everything by showing both of you. And if Karkaroff was there as you say he was, then really the whole purpose of keeping the tasks a secret has been compromised."

Harry caught onto where Hermione was going with this. "And if Karkaroff was the one who put my name in the goblet, then really, he's just been handed a silver platter with which to put my head on."

Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed reassuringly. "I'm sure that the Headmaster and Moody will do whatever it takes to prevent the tasks being tampered with. They're not going to want a repeat of the goblet happen."

Harry nodded. "I know, it just seems as if nothing seems to be going right."

"I know Harry, I know." Hermione said sympathetically, before she asked. "How is practising summoning your broom going?"

"Good, I just hope that on the day itself, I don't seize up." Harry replied.

"I'm sure you will be fine. You're a smart wizard Harry, you'll be fine." Hermione replied.

Harry felt himself warmed by her words, he looked at the time and then said his goodbyes, hurrying off back to the dormitory, he got changed and into bed, and it was only as he was about to fall asleep that he remembered something strange. Arthur Potter was everywhere and nowhere, why was that? Why was his ancestor a ghost? And why had nobody mentioned it to him?


	8. Trial

The court room was packed. Sirius could not see the exit even when he strained his neck. Thankfully there were no chains on his arms or his legs, and he could move freely. The wizards and witches of the Wizengamot looked at him as if he was some sort of exotic animal, it infuriated him, but he let it pass. He knew why he was here, and he knew what needed to be said and done. His only concern was how Harry was getting on with the First Task. He needed to be with his godson, but after today, hopefully he would be. Remus was outside, waiting for him, everything would be fine.

The room fell silent as the Minister entered and sat down. Cornelius Fudge wore robes of black and gold, showing his role as Minister for Magic, he looked tired, but severe. His voice echoed throughout the hall. "Welcome, my lords and ladies of the Wizengamot. We are gathered here today, for the trial and questioning of Sirius Black, heir to the Marquisate of Pembroke. Sirius Black was not granted a trial in nineteen eighty-one, and a gross miscarriage of justice happened. We hope to clear that today." There was some murmuring at that, and Fudge held up a hand to silence it. "Today the case will be decided by three judges, with the Wizengamot serving as witnesses. The three judges, are myself, the Marquess of Salisbury, and the Earl of Lewes." There was some murmuring again, Sirius felt himself sinking slightly, Salisbury did not like him, or had not liked his father, either way Salisbury and Pembroke had never got on. Fudge raised a hand again, and the hall fell silence once more. "The defendant shall be given veritaserum, to make sure he answers all questions truthfully."

A minor wizard, he thought the boy was Percy Weasley handed him a vial filled with the bitter potion. Sirius looked at it, swallowed and then raised the vial to his mouth and downed the potion in one. It was bitter, but he dealt with it. Once that was done, Fudge spoke once more. "Let us begin." Fudge looked at Salisbury and the man spoke.

"Is your name Sirius Orion Black?" Salisbury asked, his voice cold and calculated.

"Yes." Sirius replied.

"And did you attend Hogwarts between nineteen seventy and nineteen seventy-eight?" Salisbury asked.

"Yes." Sirius replied.

"Did you meet James Potter, Lord of Carlisle whilst you were at Hogwarts?" Salisbury questioned.

"Yes." Sirius answered.

"What was your relationship with Lord Carlisle?" Salisbury queried.

"We were close friends, he was like a brother to me, and I, him. We called ourselves Marauders. We became aurors together during the wizarding war against Voldemort, and we also joined the Order of the Phoenix to fight the man." Sirius answered.

Salisbury nodded, and did not ask anything more. Fudge took up the questioning. "What role did you serve in the Ministry?"

"I served as an inspective auror. Looking into cases where people had gone missing, both muggles and wizards. I worked with local policemen, and ensured that things were done properly. I captured many Death Eaters during my job. Amongst them Alastor Selwyn." Sirius replied, he was happy that that caused Salisbury to flush slightly, the man's son had been a bastard, a cold-hearted bastard, and Sirius had taken much pride in capturing him.

"What else did you do whilst working as an inspective auror?" Fudge asked.

"I went undercover, used my name as a means of getting in with some of the Death Eaters." Sirius replied. The memories he had worked so hard to suppress came back with full force, and caused him to wince slightly.

"What did you do, whilst you were undercover?" Fudge asked.

"I went out on raids with the Death Eaters, I sat in on their planning sessions, I listened as they planned to take over the Ministry. In short I gathered evidence to use against them." Sirius said.

"Who exactly did you operate with?" Fudge asked.

"Augustus Rookwood, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, and Sylvester Gaunt." Sirius replied, he knew Gaunt had some tie to Voldemort, but what tie that was, he did not know.

Fudge nodded in response to his answers and then asked. "Who was your supervisor, during your time as an auror?"

"Alastor Moody." Sirius replied.

"And how did you find him as a supervisor and as a person?" Fudge asked.

Sirius recognised the inquisitive technique Fudge was using, it was one that Moody had taught them both during the war and before that. Sirius repressed a smile. "He was a good supervisor, tough but fair. And he was a very good person, strong, devoted and dedicated to his friends and family." It was the truth, Moody was paranoid today, but back in his day, he'd been one of the most powerful wizards running the ministry.

Fudge nodded. The court room was completely hushed. "Now, when the Potters went into hiding, they named you, their secret keeper is that correct?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, at first I was their secret keeper, and I was proud of that. Proud of the fact that they felt they could trust me."

Fudge held up a document then, and Sirius once more had to repress a smile, so it had gotten through to them then. Not for the first time he found himself wondering why he hadn't simply mentioned this document when Fudge had come once, or when he had spoken with Albus. "This document here states that you changed places with Pettigrew and that he became the Potters secret keeper. Why is that?"

Sirius took a moment to force the memory of Godric's Hollow and James and Lilly's bodies lying there, their eyes blank… He shook his head and then said. "I thought it would make the most sense. I'd already had a close run in with the Death Eaters before, and they knew how close I was to James and Lily, I wanted to make sure that they had the most protection. No one would have thought Pettigrew would be their secret keeper. I thought it was brilliant. I regret that decision now."

There was some hushed murmuring then, and Sirius saw Lucius Malfoy sat on the left-hand side of the judges' podium, watching with intent. He repressed the urge to snarl at the man, and instead looked at Fudge who was speaking once more. "He Who Must Not Be Named, had spies everywhere, in every corner, having written confirmation that Pettigrew was now the secret keeper was a very risky thing to do. Why did you decide to have it written down?"

The truth comes to his mind, but he shrinks it off, now is not the time for that admission. Instead he forces the thing that he needed to say to his mind and said. "I believed it would place a binding contract on Peter. I had always thought he was somewhat close to clinging to James and myself, I thought this incentive would make sure he did not stray. He would die if he did."

"Evidently it did not work." Salisbury quipped. Sirius repressed the urge to snarl at the traitor.

Fudge shot Salisbury a reproachful look, and turned back to Sirius. "As Salisbury said, the spell evidently did not work. Why do you think that is?"

Again, the truth comes to his mind, but he manipulates it into something more palatable to the audience. "Voldemort had had Pettigrew as his spy for many years by then, it is not wrong to think that he manipulated Peter so that anything he signed or did would be protected from harm."

"That would be reasonable." Salisbury said in agreement, drawing surprised looks from some on the left.

Fudge nodded, and then asked. "What did you do when you arrived at Godric's Hollow, on the night the Potters were killed?"

"I sensed that something was wrong, I arrived at their home, to find it nearly in ruins. I hurried inside and found James' body lying at the foot of the stairs, he wasn't breathing." Sirius took a deep breath, trying to keep his calm as the memories came floating back. "I ran up the stairs when I heard Harry crying, and I found Lily lying in front of his crib." He took a shuddering breath, clenched and unclenched his hand, then looked up and saw sympathy etched into the judges' faces, even Salisbury. He cleared his throat and continued. "I picked Harry up out of his crib and walked downstairs, I knew that once word spread of their master's downfall, the Death Eaters would come to find the person responsible, I wanted to protect my godson, then Rubeus Hagrid turned up. He said Dumbledore wanted to take Harry to Hogwarts for protection, and I agreed, where else could be safer than Hogwarts?" Someone snorted, Sirius ignored them and continued. "Once Hagrid and Harry were gone, I took my wand out and went after Pettigrew. I found him lurking in the street a few metres from the house. I challenged him, and then he shouted something, there was a bang, and then there was nothing."

"You do not remember being arrested?" Fudge asked curiosity laced in his tone.

"No. After the confrontation with Peter, I do not remember anything for a long time. The next thing I remember is reading about the death of Millicent Bagnold." Sirius said. "And I know that took place around nine years after my arrest."

"Why did you escape from Azkaban last year?" Amelia Bones asked.

"I saw something in the newspaper, a picture of the Weasley family in Egypt I think, and I recognised the rat in the boy's hand. I saw the rat, knew it was Peter, and knew I had to get to him." Sirius replied.

"What for?" Bones asked.

"To get revenge and to protect Harry." Sirius said simply.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak to us, Lord Black." Fudge said. "We would now like to summon Rufus Scrimegour to talk."

Rufus Scrimegour was an old colleague of Sirius, some might say a friend, others a lover, but he was someone Sirius respected. Rufus nodded at him and then bowed before the judges'. "When you went looking for evidence into the mishandling of Sirius Black's case, what did you find?" Salisbury asked.

"My colleagues and I find a host of notes, stashed away deep in the darkest cellars of the Ministry, that showed clearly how and why Minister Bagnold had buried the Black investigation. It detailed her anger at Black's family for refusing a suit she had put forward for herself when she was a teenager, and a suit she had put forward for her son William. It detailed arguments she had had with the Marquess of Pembroke about her swindling of money, and how she was using it. And it detailed her belief that Black was best kept away, so as not to threaten her or her son." Scrimegour said.

"Why had this evidence not been found before?" Salisbury asked, his tone short and clipped.

Scrimegour did not even blink. "It had been buried beneath the darkest lairs of the ministry. Only those on the council had access to it, and they had not been there for thirty years. I asked for permission and was granted it by the Minister when it became apparent that something darker was going on."

Salisbury nodded satisfied. There was some murmuring happening in the background, but it stopped the moment Fudge spoke. "Thank you, Rufus. You may leave now." There was a pause as Scrimegour bowed and then walked out. Fudge spoke again. "We will now take a short recess with which the judges and I shall confer and reach our decision." The doors opened and the members of the Wizengamot filed out. Sirius got up and walked to the exit, and walked out into a private room he had known about before, Remus was there, waiting, they sat next to one another and said nothing. Then when the guard came to tell them the judges were back, he nodded to Remus and then walked back into the room and took his seat.

There was an expectant hush across the court room. The judges all looked solemn and grave. Fudge spoke, the room fell silent. "This trial should have happened thirteen years ago. Had it happened then, a gross miscarriage of justice would have been avoided, and a man would not have spent the last decade of his life rotting in a cell. Mistakes were made, and lives were lost. But we have a chance to make that right." There was a pause, Sirius could feel his heart hammering. "It is therefore with much relief and happiness that this court finds Sirius Orion Black, innocent of any and all crimes previously accused of, and restates him into his position as Marquess of Pembroke, and a member of the Wizengamot." There was a loud applause and some cheers, Sirius nodded to the judges, and got up, bowed once, before he walked out of the room, to where Remus was waiting, he hugged his friend.

"I am a free man." Sirius replied.

Remus beamed. "Excellent, let us go and inform Harry." With that they made their way to the portkey that would take them to the Headmaster's Office, Sirius felt ecstatic.


	9. Friends

The common room was a maze of celebrations. Harry had won everyone over. Ron was happy for his friend, he had realised as he'd watched Harry navigating the dragon, that really, regardless of his own stupidity, Harry was always a good friend to him, was always there for him. Ron had felt like a right idiot when he'd come to that realisation. He knew that if given the chance, Harry would trade his entire wealth and fame, for a chance at having a family like Ron did. That had made him feel all the more terrible for his little huff. He took a deep breath and walked over to Harry, his friend stopped and stared at him, and his mouth was suddenly dry. He cleared his throat and then said. "I reckon you've got to be bloody mental to enter your name into that goblet."

The common room went completely silent, and Ron paled slightly, at the anger he saw in Harry's eyes. He deserved it. "Figured that, out have you?" Harry's eyes were dark and stormy. "Took you long enough."

Ron blushed, and he could hear Fred and George calling for people to focus on other things. He swallowed. "Look, Harry, mate, I was an idiot. I knew you didn't put your name into the goblet, I knew it from the moment your name came out of the thing."

"Then why did you accuse me of putting my name in it?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. I was jealous." Ron admitted.

"Jealous?" Harry asked surprised. "Why would you be jealous?"

"I…" here Ron shifted slightly. "Well, you're always getting attention, and I know you don't like it, but everyone knows who you are, and well, it's hard. I've grown up five older brothers, who are all really talented, and I've been given their old things my entire life. It's hard you know, seeing you get all the attention and fame. I just feel worthless compared to you."

His friend looked stunned. "You know I'd give it all to you in a heartbeat, right?"

"I know mate, I do." Ron admitted.

"I don't like people gawping at me because of something that happened when I was a baby. I'd rather have my parents and have brothers and sisters, than have to deal with this crap all the time." Harry said. "Why didn't you just tell me this before, instead of giving me the cold shoulder?"

There was such pain in his friend's voice that Ron felt worse. "I…I don't know mate. Honestly, I've wanted to say something, but I just didn't know how to. I was an idiot, and I've been feeling like shit for the past month. Really it's my own fault." His friend nodded, and then sheepishly he added. "I'm just glad you didn't die today."

Harry laughed. "You're a git, you know, that, right?"

Ron blushed again and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

His friend opened his arms, and Ron didn't hesitate into walking into the hug. He smiled slightly when Harry whispered. "But you're my git."

They broke up their hug, and Ron nodded. "Sorry again mate."

Harry shrugged. "It's alright, I mean I can see where you're coming from, even if I didn't before. Next time you feel like doing something like that, just let me know yeah?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, course mate."

They fell silent and then Harry punched his arm and said. "Thanks for the tip about the dragons by the way. I really appreciate it, it helped me get into the swing of things for the task."

Ron shrugged. "Least I could do, besides, Charlie was hinting to me constantly about it, so I thought you might want to know."

Another silence fell between them, and Ron noticed that Hermione and Ginny were looking at them both with strange looks on their faces, he nodded to them to Harry and they both grinned. "Looks like your fan club has grown mate." Ron joked.

Harry blushed then, he actually blushed. "Nah mate, they're just amazed that we've made up and not had to have a screaming match."

Ron laughed then. "Ah, course not, we're not girls now are we aha."

Harry nodded, and then asked. "So, what exactly have you been doing, you know, in the time where we've not been hanging out?"

"Doing a bit of reading," Ron replied, at the incredulous expression on his friend's face he laughed. "Yeah, shocker, isn't it? But you know, I thought I might as well get some reading in, there have been a lot of interesting things happening in our Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, and you know I've been considering my options."

Harry inclined his head. "Oh? Thinking of becoming an auror eh?"

Ron nodded. "If I keep practising, I think it would be a good career choice. I mean, Bill will inherit the estate when Mum and Dad clock it, Charlie's got his thing with dragons in Romania, and Percy's at the ministry. I have no idea what Fred and George are going to be doing, but I thought I might as well explore my options now you know."

"That's pretty cool man." Harry replied. "I mean, if you're thinking about getting into the Auror business, maybe you could help me?"

"With what?" Ron asked intrigued.

"I was given this letter before the task, by someone and I'm trying to figure it out. I know detection spells are your strong point." Harry replied.

Something about this echoed in his head, there was something suspicious about the thing Harry was holding. "Yeah course, wanna have a look at it after dinner?"

"Sure thing." Harry replied smiling, Ron smiled back.

The common room entrance opened and Professor McGonagall stepped into the room. "Potter, Weasley, Granger, the Headmaster has requested your presence in his office. Follow me."

Ron looked at Harry who shrugged, together alongside Hermione they walked out of the common room, down the winding hallways of Hogwarts and out to the Headmaster's office, where McGonagall gave the password, and then they walked up the stairs. She knocked on the door, and when they were told to enter, pushed the door open. Immediately, Harry was engulfed in a hug. "Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Harry pulled back from his godfather, and Ron saw that Sirius looked different, he seemed more filled out, healthier. "Well, first, I wanted to say congratulations on the first task. Using your broom to get the egg was a fantastic bit of magic. I was going to suggest a conjunctivitis Curse."

Ron smiled as his friend grinned and blushed. "And secondly, I came here to tell you, that as of this morning, I am now a free man." Sirius said.

It took a minute for the news to sink in, and then Ron said. "You're free? Innocent? Cleared?" Sirius nodded. "Congrats Sirius, that's brilliant."

"Thanks Ron." Sirius replied.

"I'm so happy for you Sirius." Hermione said.

Harry had remained silent, and now he finally spoke. "You're free?" There was a tentativeness in his friend's voice and Ron thought he knew what it was about. He looked at Hermione and then at the headmaster, who nodded.

Ron clapped his friend on the shoulder and whispered. "We'll see you back at the common room, mate." With that he took Hermione by the hand and walked out of the Headmaster's Office.

As they walked back to the common room, Ron found himself wondering about Harry and Hermione, it seemed obvious that both of them were nurturing some sort of affection for one another, but as was always the case, neither of them had acted on it. He would've said something to Harry before, or to Hermione, but felt it wasn't his place to say. Instead, he asked Hermione something he'd been meaning to ask her. "How much do you know about Arthur Potter?"

Hermione stopped and looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"I saw the books on our table in the common room the other day. I was just wondering what you knew." Ron asked.

"I know a little bit about him. What do you know about him?" Hermione asked.

"I know a little bit about him as well." Ron replied evasively. Not wanting to give anything away, and not really knowing much more than what he thinks Hermione knows.

Hermione huffed, but said nothing else, instead they walked back into the common room and sat down. Hermione began reading, and Ron messed around with a detection spell he'd learned the other day. The common room was quite quiet by now, as most people were either in their dorms, or preparing for dinner. Ron preferred it this way, he was able to actually think, as he found and unfound the piece of lint in front of him, he thought things would get back to normal now. The opening of the common room door, stopped him in his thought process.

Harry came and sat down next to Hermione, a smile plastered on his face. "Sirius said I could come and live with him during the holidays." Harry said immediately.

"Harry, that's great!" Hermione said.

"Yeah mate, congrats." Ron replied.

"Thanks!" Harry said. "He said Fudge had given him the right to adopt me, as he would have done had Pettigrew not framed him."

Ron nodded and winced internally, how had he not thought that there was something odd about his rat? "That's great mate. So, what else did Sirius say?" He was curious if Dumbledore would let Sirius tell Harry about his heritage, where he'd not allowed Ron's dad to do so.

"He mentioned that as he is now the Marquess of Pembroke, he has to get his estates in order, and that he'd be venturing back to his home for that. But that he'd try and be here for the second task." Harry replied enthusiastically.

Ron smiled, happy to see his friend so happy. "That's good. I'm happy for you mate, honestly."

Harry smiled in response. "Thanks Ron, I'm going to go and get ready for dinner. I'll see you here in about ten minutes."

Ron nodded, and watched as Hermione left for her dorm as well. He waited and then as expected, Fred and George sat down on either side of him. "Good to see you've pulled your head out of your arse and apologised to Harry." Fred said.

Ron knew he deserved that, and so he accepted that with a slight incline of his head. He turned to Fred and then to George and said. "Hermione asked me about Arthur Potter, and Sirius has informed Harry of him being Marquess of Pembroke. Dumbledore's clearly loosening his grip on things."

Fred seemed to be considering this, for his face was blank and straight, though George looked nervous. "And what did you tell Hermione about Arthur Potter?"

"Nothing, I merely asked her what she knew." Ron replied, he hesitated and then said. "We should say something to Harry, before he finds out one way or another."

George nodded his agreement. "I think you're right Ron. After all, if we don't there's a chance that he'll learn the incorrect version of history, or a version of history that might make people suspect something. What do you think Fred?"

"I think we need to be careful. Dumbledore had his plans, and now Sirius is back. We must see what Dumbledore does, and how he handles things now. The tournament is still going on as well." Fred replied.

"Right, I'd better go off and get ready for dinner." Ron said. "I'll see you later." He got up and walked into the dorm, and hurriedly changed his shirt and robes, nodded at Harry as they walked down the stairs and out of the common room down to dinner. Things seemed to be getting better, and Ron was determined to prevent anything souring Harry's mood. He owed his friend that much, and more, if he thought about it. He might write to Mum and see what she thought about telling Harry, Dad was always going to be cautious when it came to Dumbledore, but Mum, she'd tell Harry in a heartbeat.


	10. Marquess of Black

Ah it was good to be home. Pembroke Castle, with its towering ramparts and its imposing keep, a symbol of the wealth and power of the House of Black. To the outside world, to the muggles, the castle had been destroyed during the English Civil War, but really, it had been modified to look like a ruin. Sirius remembered spending holidays here with his grandfather and grandmother. Arcturus Black was a strict man, but he could be soft when he felt it was right. Sirius had long preferred living here, then at number twelve Grimmauld Place, the home of the heir to the Marquess of Pembroke. His parents were strange, and Sirius had the feeling that his grandfather had never wanted Sirius' own father to succeed, hence the beatings he had received. Sirius shook his head, nodded to Remus and then stood when the door opened and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy walked in. Lucius bowed, and Narcissa curtseyed, as was only right, as he was their superior. He kissed Narcissa's hand and then gestured for them both to sit. Once they are seated, he speaks. "Welcome back to Pembroke Castle. It has been many years since we were all last here. I have spent some time going over the ledgers for the place as well as the rest of the estates, and am satisfied that all is in order. You did a good job maintaining the finances, Cissy." Sirius saw Narcissa smile at the compliment, whilst Lucius scowled, he had often wondered why his cousin had agreed to marry the prick.

"Thank you cousin. And might I say before we begin, congratulations on your release, it was a most justified thing." Narcissa said honestly.

"Yes, well done." Lucius drawled, evidently being sarcastic.

"Thank you." Sirius said. A moment paused and then he spoke once more. "Pettigrew was a man who played the con very well, he was a good spy, and I intend to make use of this knowledge in the future."

Lucius looked intrigued. "How? Pettigrew is not likely to come back to you, not when he knows you are more likely to kill him."

Sirius snorted. "I do not intend to use Pettigrew. But that is for another time." Sirius paused, and looked at his cousin and her husband. Narcissa had been beautiful when they were younger, smart and caring, she was one of the only members of his family alongside her sister Andromeda that he had liked. Bellatrix had been mad, and Lucius, Lucius was a schemer who had married well above his station. That thought brought him to his next topic of conversation. "In the years since my incarceration, the House of Malfoy has risen to fill the void that the House of Black left. My grandfather was ill for a long time and my father was never the sanest of people. Thus, I thank you for keeping the alliances intact, even if they did not pursue things that were within the House's interest." He held up a hand as Lucius went to protest. "I have received word from Lords Nott, Zabini, Rowle and Greengrass that they are willing to resume the alliance with the House of Black, and we shall be meeting in a week's time to discuss what our agenda shall be." Sirius saw how Narcissa remained calm, seemingly accepting his words, Lucius seemed slightly outraged, evidently, he would need some time to get used to the old way of things. "The agenda you have pursued in the Wizengamot has been surprising Lucius. I would have thought that you would have looked to do your duty to your liege lord, and ensured that the agenda my grandfather had set out was maintained." He held up a piece of paper and said. "Pursuing a purge of muggleborns from Hogwarts, attempting to remove Albus Dumbledore from Hogwarts, and attempting to have the Weasleys removed from the rolls of the ancient families, does not seem as if you were doing what my grandfather asked you to do. It seems as though you were pursuing your own feud."

Malfoy visibly paled. "I…I…I admit I might have gotten carried away with my feuds, but my lord, I assure you, I did all I could to keep the Black agenda going."

Sirius laughed. "I am not my father. I will not be swayed with easy flattery. I have the records of your voting record here. You voted in favour of a registry for muggleborns, you voted in favour of culling out werewolves, you voted in favour of rebuilding the Great Elder Project. All things my grandfather asked you to oppose. Especially that last one. One might think you had forgotten your place." Lucius paled and Sirius took some delight in that. He turned to Narcissa and asked. "I am surprised Cissy; I would have thought you would reign in your husband. Why did you not?"

His cousin clears her throat and said. "Lucius was named as regent for the House in your absence when your father and mother both died, Sirius. Your grandfather was insistent that Lucius took the reins. I would have done more, but your grandfather was quite insistent."

Sirius nodded, he understood now. Arcturus Black was a great man, but he did not trust women to rule, he had underestimated Narcissa and now the house was tainted. "I see. Well from now on, that changes." Lucius went to protest, and Sirius shut him up with a glare. "Narcissa is from the House of Black, she is a member of your liege family Lucius. The Malfoys survived the trouble with Thaddeus Morgan, only because my namesake and ancestor vouched for you. Do not forget that everything you have, can be taken away."

Malfoy's lip curled, but he bowed his head. "Of course, my lord."

Sirius nodded, then looked at Narcissa. "From now on, any decision that is taken by the House of Malfoy as it pertains to fealty to the House of Black, you shall make the final call. Otherwise, Lucius shall make the final decision."

Narcissa nodded. Then she asked. "And what of Draco? He is a member of the House, but he does not get on with Harry, how will that influence things?"

Sirius took a breath, he had spoken to Harry briefly about Draco, and learned many things that smacked of Lucius. He took another breath, the spoke. "Draco and Harry will have lessons together when they are back during the Easter and Summer holidays. They are cousins now, as Harry is formally my son. The adoption ritual shall take place when Harry is next home, and you shall be there. I do not think it is too late for Harry and Draco to be reconciled. They are not adults yet."

Narcissa relaxed considerably then, and Sirius was satisfied by that. Her husband might not care for their son, indeed the word he had received from Albus suggested that exactly, but Narcissa most definitely did. "I suppose Andromeda and her family will no longer be exiled either?" There was a note of hope in her tone, and Sirius was reminded that his cousin had never approved of the banishment.

"She and her family shall be welcomed back to the family, with full honours. Ted has agreed to become one of my lords, the oath of fealty will occur within the next few weeks." Sirius stated simply. Narcissa nodded. Sirius then turned to Lucius and asked. "Tell me Lucius, how many of your old Death Eater friends do you keep in contact with?"

As expected, Lucius sputtered out denials, but eventually at a sharp nudge from his wife sighed. "Crabb and Goyle, Mulciber senior, and Rosier, Selwyn as well. Why?"

"What things do you discuss when you meet?" Sirius enquired.

"We discuss the Wizengamot. Or rather Selwyn and Rosier do, Crabb and Goyle do not have enough brains to hold a conversation, and Mulciber can barely speak. We want to bring things away from the halfbloods and towards the purebloods completely." Malfoy answered.

"And this business at the Quidditch World Cup? What was that about?" Sirius asked, fighting hard to keep the note of anger out of his tone. Harry had been there.

"It was merely a game of fun. I did not partake, but they did. It was foolish." Lucius said, something clearly bothering him.

"They all fled at the sight of the Dark Mark. Why? One would have thought they'd be delighted to see your master's sign back in the air." Sirius questioned.

Malfoy visibly blanched then. "The Dark Lord is not forgiving. He knows that those who did not go to Azkaban for him are the ones who would be most likely to turn on him again. His punishment for them would be swift and brutal. None of them wanted to stay and see if he was there."

Sirius seized on that. "So, you do not think he is dead then?"

Lucius looked as if he had misspoken, but then he sighed. "No, I do not believe him to be dead." The man sighed. "Before his fall, he gave me a diary, he told me to look after it, and ensure that I did not let it out of my sight. I suspected it might be a way of preserving his soul, but I was not sure. When I heard, what happened with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and the near death of the Weasley girl, I knew then that he was not dead. That what Draco had told us when he came back after his first year, was more than just a rumour. It was the truth."

Sirius's heart was momentarily gripped with fear. Voldemort was truly alive out there somewhere, plotting and planning to come back to life, and he was going to use Harry. Sirius took a deep breath and asked. "So, you believe Voldemort is still alive, and out there somewhere. Do you know for certain?"

Malfoy raised his sleeve and showed Sirius the skull with the viper coming out of it, the Dark Mark. "For the past few months the mark has been getting warmer. When the Dark Lord would want us to attend him, he would press the mark of one of our number, and we were to apparate to him immediately. It did not matter where we were."

"How would you know where to go?" Sirius asked, that was something he wished he could have asked Regulus before his brother had been murdered.

Malfoy took a breath. "When the Dark Lord touched the mark of one of us, it would transmit his location to us all, and we would apparate there. It was a clear and concise way of ensuring that we were all there, and that if one of us was not, the Dark Lord could tell where we were and how to punish us."

"So, it is a two-way connection?" Sirius demanded.

"Yes." Malfoy replied.

"I see." Sirius thought about this for a moment and then said. "You will meet with Selwyn and Rosier tomorrow, arrange a meeting discuss how you are concerned that I will take away your power from you, and tell them you think that a hunt for the Dark Lord is necessary. That you think you can benefit from finding him, before he finds you."

Narcissa looked as if she wanted to ask what benefit this would bring, but Lucius nodded, he understood as Sirius knew he would. "I will. And when they ask why this sudden interest?"

"Tell them that you think there is something going on within Hogwarts, that your position is threatened." Sirius said. Lucius nodded, and then at a signal from Sirius, he and his wife stood up and left the castle. Once they were gone, Sirius looked at Remus and said. "That went well."

Remus, serving as his High Steward, asked. "Do you think they will remain true?"

"Yes." Sirius said, at Remus's questioning look he replied. "Narcissa does not want anything to happen to Draco, and she knows how powerful the family is. We can offer better protection than Voldemort. Plus, we were close once."


	11. Research

Hermione took a deep breath, the book was open before her, she had the feeling that what she was doing was wrong. Why she had that feeling she did not know, but it was there like a nagging doubt. It would not go away, so she decided to ignore it. She pulled the book closer to her and began reading.

 _In Seventeen twenty, centuries after the last War of Succession, the wizarding world was relatively at peace. Things had recovered after the great betrayal of sixteen eighty-eight, and sixteen forty-nine. The Muggle monarchy was strong, though the elected institutions of the muggle world were growing in strength. It became ever more apparent that the statute of secrecy needed to be maintained. Hence the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Augustus Rowle proposed several new laws that would limit who could and could not take the oath of allegiance to the Wizengamot. There had been a bad case of flying wands during the Wizengamot session of seventeen eighteen, and so this was seen as a necessity. The legislation passed through a first and second reading, but when it came to a third reading, it ran into hard ground._

 _New issues had appeared during the readings of the legislation. The Goblins were beginning to act up, and the House of Gaunt was proposing new, radical bills that should reduce their power and their ability to achieve anything of substance. Damocles Rowle, the Minister for Magic supported this legislation in contradiction to that proposed by his nephew. It looked as if the Wizengamot would be torn once more. Yet, come the hour, come the man. Arthur Potter, a man that not many people knew, and the heir to the Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland stood up to give his inaugural speech. It was a speech delivered with passion and fervour and won him great rapturous applause. Indeed, Orion Black, Marquess of Pembroke is recorded as saying. "Never in all my long years have I ever heard a speech such as that." It is believed that it was after that speech that the Great Pact was signed, and the foundations for what would follow were lain._

 _In all honesty, the fate of the wizarding and that of the muggle world was determined when the Great Pact was signed. For what followed was a horrible sight to behold. The Muggles have something they call the Great Wars, where millions died. What followed after the signing of the Great Pact, was more horrendous. Wizards all over Britain and her colonies were killed, and somewhere close to a billion wizards were killed during the fighting. To those who read this now, never repeat the failings of the Great Pact, and never look for Thaddeus Morgan._

The common room door opened and Ron and Harry walked in, forcing Hermione to slam the book shut and slip it into her bag. She smiled as she saw them walk over to her, since the first task, things between her two friends had improved. There were no longer any surly silences, no pent-up frustrations. Both boys were far more open with one another than they had been before. It was good, and it was tiring. But it was worth it. As they sat down, Ron opposite her, and Harry by her side, Hermione felt a slight tingle, but ignored it. Instead she asked. "How was Divination?" she could not understand why the boys had decided to keep going with that waste of a subject.

Harry sighed dramatically. "Apparently, I will be facing my death at the hands of a three-headed giant, which will think me to be its brother."

Ron snorted. "I think she got that one wrong. You've already faced a three-headed giant."

"Fluffy wasn't exactly a giant though was she." Hermione pointed out, playing along. "A giant dog yes, but not a giant."

Ron groaned, and placed his hands over his eyes. "Oh, please don't remind me. I don't get how Hagrid has this fascination with such dangerous animals." Ron removed his hands from his eyes and sighed. "I mean don't get me wrong, his lessons are fun, and I like him, but honestly, if I have to spend one more day trying not to get my hands burned by a blast ended skrewt, I might join Malfoy in complaining."

That drew a laugh from them all, the thought of Ron and Malfoy ever becoming friends or agreeing on anything was laughable. Harry had a teasing glint in his eye. "Are you sure you wouldn't want to act tough, you know, for a certain girl?"

Ron blushed a fierce scarlet then. "I don't know what you're on about mate."

"Oh come off it, Ron." Harry said. "I saw the way you were looking at Lavender. In fact, I think the whole class did."

Hermione looked at Ron and saw him blush even more red. "I just had a look to see if she was doing alright." Ron said defensively.

"Sure you did, and turning into a bit of a simpering wreck around her? What was that about?" Harry asked.

Before Ron could respond, Hermione chimed in. "Well, I think you should go for it, Ron."

Both Harry and Ron looked at her surprised. "You think so?" Ron asked unconvinced.

"Yes." Hermione replied. And then seeing the looks on both their faces, she sighed and said. "Let's just say Lavender hasn't stopped talking about you once this year."

If it was possible, Ron had already gone another shade of red. "Well…well…that's good."

"Haha. Don't lie Ron, you're bloody delighted by it. So, now all you've got to do is talk to her without losing your ability to speak properly." Harry joked.

Ron leaned forward and hit Harry on his arm. "It's not funny, it's hard you know. Trying to get the courage to properly talk to her." Ron fixed her with his gaze then and asked. "Why do girls always travel in packs Hermione?"

The question stumped her, she did not know. She'd never really had that many friends before, and really, Harry and Ron were her main friends now. "I don't know." She replied honestly. "Something to do with strength in numbers."

Ron slumped back down onto his chair. "Well that's just great, just great."

Hermione looked at Harry and sighed. "You know, if you want you could ask her to go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend. I could talk to Parvati at the end of Charms, and ensure that you have her to yourself."

Harry smiled at her, and she felt something stir inside her, something she quickly pushed down. Ron straightened. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione smiled. "No worries." There was a brief silence as they all sat there, contemplating who knew what, Hermione found herself wondering why Arthur Potter kept appearing in the books she was reading, and why she'd never heard of him before. She wanted to tell Harry, but something held her back. Eventually, she found herself deciding she'd do some more reading into him at night. She turned to Harry and Ron and asked. "Have you two asked anyone to the Yule Ball yet?" It was the talk of the girls' dorms, who Harry would ask to the ball, being a champion he'd be opening the ball with his partner and fellow champions. Hermione wasn't all that fussed by it all, but with four weeks to go, things were getting quite close.

Ron shrugged. "Well, I mean if things go well with Lavender, I'll ask her."

Harry sighed. "I don't really know who to ask. I don't want to ask someone just for the sake of it. I actually want my partner to have some fun."

That odd sensation came crawling back into her then, she pushed it down though, knowing that she couldn't go with Harry. "You could ask Ginny, I'm sure she'd be happy to go with you." For some reason the thought of Harry going with Ginny sent a bitter taste into her mouth.

"Nah, Ginny's going with Dean, I think." Harry said dismissively. He looked at her then and asked tentatively. "Are you going with anyone Hermione?"

A brief flash of anger appeared in her, was Harry using her as a last resort? That didn't feel nice, and in that moment, she was glad that she'd already been asked and said yes to Viktor. But then she realised how petty that sounded, Harry had been busy with other things, he'd not had time to ask anyone yet. She sighed and said. "Yes, Viktor asked me the other day, and I said yes."

Harry's face fell, but then he picked himself up and said. "Ah, fair enough. Well I'm sure it'll be a good laugh." With that a look passed between Ron and Harry and they got up, promising to see her at dinner.

Hermione was left on the sofa, for what seemed a long time, before Ginny came and sat down next to her. "Are you alright?" The youngest Weasley sibling asked her.

Hermione looked over at Ginny and nodded. "Yeah, just a bit tired."

Ginny smiled. "Been reading that book, again have you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow in question and Ginny laughed. "How do I know you've been reading the book? You get a look on your face when you've read it. The thirst for more knowledge, but the fear that you might find something you don't like."

"I just find it odd, how no one has ever thought to tell Harry about his ancestors. I mean, surely Mister and Missus Weasley would want him to know the truth?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Ginny sighed. "I remember Mum and Dad arguing about it. Mum was all for telling Harry, she felt he had a right to know. But Dad said they'd been told not to tell him until he was ready."

"Who told them that?" Hermione asked curious as to why someone would want to deny Harry the truth about his heritage.

Ginny raised a shoulder and lowered it. "I don't know. But Dad was quite insistent that they wait until Harry was ready before they told him. Mum wasn't happy about it, but she complied."

"How was anyone going to know when Harry was ready to learn the truth about his heritage?" Hermione asked, she had only just about scrapped the bottom of the barrel, there was still a lot more to look through.

"I don't know." Ginny said. Then raised her eyebrow. "So, you're going to the ball with Viktor Krum eh?" Ginny waggled her eyebrows, causing Hermione to laugh.

"It's nothing serious. He asked me because he felt I was the only girl who would go with him for a good time, and not for the fact that he was an international star." Hermione replied.

Ginny looked surprised. "I wasn't aware that you and he had spoken properly?"

Hermione laughed. "Only a little, he can't say my name properly. I've been trying to help him with his English, he says he wants to move to England after the tournament ends to improve on his quidditch playing."

Ginny nodded. "Ah, that's pretty cool." The youngest Weasley checked her watch and then cursed. "Damn, sorry Hermione, I said I'd meet Dean at dinner now. I'll see you later." Hermione nodded and watched as Ginny hurried out of the common room, wondering how Ron felt about Ginny going with Dean, he could be quite protective when he wanted to.

She looked around the common room and was happy to find it deserted, she took the book out of her bag and flicked to the page she had been on before, and began reading again.

 _The Great Pact highlighted the ugliness of the wizarding world, the ambitions that had been left unchecked since the throne had been vacated. They caused a great many wars in the muggle world, and saw many people break, families were divided, and the world quivered under the blows it was dealt. When the war finished, it was promised that nothing like this would ever happen again. Alas, that was a lie. And at the heart of the lie was Ignotous Potter, the heir to the legacy of his father._

Hermione closed the book, put it into her bag. Ignotous Potter? Where had she heard that name before? She did not remember now, but she was sure she'd remember soon enough. She hurried upstairs, deposited her things in her dorm, and then walked with Harry and Ron off to dinner.


	12. Slivering Snake

"Gentlemen, thank you all for coming." Lucius said as brightly as he could. Really, he would have preferred not to have had them in his manor, but he had been instructed to do so by his liege lord, and therefore he would comply. "As you know, Sirius Black has been declared innocent and has taken full control of his estates, and has assumed his title as Marquess of Pembroke. This consequently means, that my oaths of fealty to the House have been renewed, and I am compelled to inform you that Black intends to change the agenda."

Mulciber looked surprised by this. "You mean to tell me Sirius Black is going to embrace the pure blood clans? I thought the man despised us?"

"It seems that he has a practical side that was not around when he was a young man. We have all mellowed with age Mulciber, perhaps this is true with Black as well." Lucius replied.

"Well, what does he intend to change the agenda to?" Avery asked impatiently.

Lucius disliked Avery, the man was full of nonsense and the attack at the World Cup had been his idea. Still he was a powerful man, who owed his allegiance to Lucius, therefore, he paid him the courtesy of replying civilly. "He intends to remove the proposals for a muggle registry, and to remove the legislation stating the immunising of werewolves. In exchange, he wants to propose development of more potions like Wolfsbane for Werewolves, and he wants a relaxation on the secrecy act in regards to secrets muggle wizards and witches can access."

"No doubt he wants to ensure his steward does not face too much difficulty." Avery said, his eyes burning brightly.

"Indeed." Lucius said.

"I do not like removing the muggle born registry, we need to know how many of the vermin are around. I do not agree with allowing them access to some of our deepest and oldest secrets. They are not true born, they are half breeds and filth." Mulciber said fervently.

"I agree with you Mulciber, but do not forget that Black now controls half the votes in the Wizengamot by virtue of restarting the old Black alliances, as well as meeting with various allies of the House of Potter. His adoption of Harry Potter has made him one of the most powerful men in the wizarding world. We would be foolish to go against him." Lucius said.

As expected, Rosier spoke then. "You mean to turn from the Dark Lord to this muggle loving cretin?"

Lucius looked at Rosier, the man was covered in dirt, and his breath stank of alcohol, ever since his brother had been thrown into Azkaban the man had never been the same. "I intend to keep my options open. If Black looks like he might slip one past the Dark Lord, then we would all be wise to keep him on our side. He might like Muggles and he might have been friends with Potter's father, but he is still a pure blood and a Black. He knows the way the wizarding world works."

"I do not like it." Avery said then. "Black did much to hamper our cause during the war. What is there to say he will not do the same now?" There were mutterings of agreement from Mulciber and Rosier. "Indeed, what is there to say that he will not try and have us all thrown before the tribunals and finally convicted of what we did?"

"The fact that Fudge is still very much my man." Lucius replied bored. "Cornelius wants the approval of the old families. But he will not know how to act around Black, the man is powerful, but was also kept under lock and key during his term as minister. And do not forget, Black's family has a very dark history. Fudge will fear Black; we can assuage his fears."

"How exactly would we do that?" Avery asked, his tone condescending.

"My wife and Black are close. They have been speaking regularly since Black was freed. I can have her do what she is meant for, and have her write to Black about her concerns about some things in his agenda. He will listen to her, and he will do as she asks, if she phrases it the right way." Lucius replied, he was not sure whether that was the truth or not, he had never been sure what the attachment was between Black and Narcissa.

That seemed to satisfy Avery, Mulciber nodded as well. Rosier did not seem convinced, but thankfully, he had kept his mouth shut. A moment passed, and then Crabbe spoke, his dull voice echoing through the room. "I had word from Salisbury this morning. He states that he wants three of us to go looking for something within the Ministry."

Lucius bit back a retort. He despised Selwyn, but the old man was the Dark Lord's oldest follower, and only friend, if the man asked them for something, they would have to do it. "And did he say what he wanted us to look for?"

Crabbe nodded. "Something to do with what forced the Dark Lord to go looking for Potter when he was still powerful. He said it would hold the key to bringing the man back to life."

Malfoy kept his mouth shut, he did not know if the others knew about the diary, and he had no intention of revealing that to them. Avery spoke then. "How would it do that? The thing that Snape heard was half baked. It contained no instructions as to how to bring the dead back."

Crabbe raised and lowered a shoulder, Goyle spoke then. "It was not the prophecy. That was what Selwyn said. It was something else, something much more powerful. Something linked to Thaddeus Morgan and the Great Pact."

That made Lucius straighten. The Great Pact had caused all kinds of destruction during the eighteenth century, if the Dark Lord or Selwyn wanted that, there must be a very good reason for it. Cautiously he asked. "Did Salisbury say anything more?"

Goyle shook his head. "Only that he wanted people to go looking for it."

Lucius considered this and then said. "Crabbe, Goyle you shall go looking for it. Rosier, I want you to find Fenrir and have him send one of his people to look for it as well. If the thing is within the Ministry, it will either be in the Department of Mysteries or it will be in the Department of Historical Archives. The latter will be easier to get access to."

Both men nodded, then fell silent. Avery spoke then. "Do you know where the Dark lord is now? Do you think he would have heard of the incident at the world cup?" There was a tiny bit of fear in the man's voice that Lucius relished.

Lucius faked a sigh. "I do not know. I have been unable to locate the Dark Lord. Something about the events leading up to the World Cup and afterwards have created doubt in my mind as to whether he is within the country or exiled still."

Avery leaned forward then. "How so?"

"The Dark Mark." Lucius said simply. "Whoever used Potter's wand to conjure it was either incredibly brave, or incredibly foolish. Either way, the Dark Lord would have heard about how you all fled when it was cast into the sky. Should he return that will not endear you to him."

"At least we did what we said we would do, and did not move out at the last minute." Avery replied tauntingly.

Lucius ignored the man and instead returned to the subject of who had cast the mark. "The foolishness of casting the mark, makes me think we are looking for a hot-headed Death Eater, or someone who was merely looking to cause trouble. Greengrass brother is dead, so that ruled him out, Zabini died a year ago, so it cannot be him. Severus was never hot headed. Regulus Black is dead."

"Pettigrew would not have dared turn up at the world cup, for all he was a Gryffindor, he was a coward." Mulciber supplied.

"Then I am at a loss to think who could have conjured the mark, and what their intentions were." Lucius said, though there was a thought forming in his mind, he would not share it with these fools though, no, he would wait till his next meeting.

The men nodded and then at Lucius' signal, got up and bowed before leaving the room and the manor. Once that was done, he got up, stretched, then moved toward the two way mirror his grandfather had installed here alongside a mirror Arcturus Black had installed in Pembroke Castle. He waited then Black's face appeared. "Lucius." Black said calmly. "How did the meeting go?"

"Well enough, they all think that you will completely repeal everything they have worked for, these past thirteen years, and as such are seeking to convince Fudge to oppose you." Lucius said.

"Good. And did your questioning of them turn up anything new about the world cup?" Black asked, Lucius could hear the tone of accusation about the muggle baiting there, he sighed internally, what was it with Black and his fondness for Muggles?

"No, none of them knew just who had cast the mark. It seems we have a ghost on our hands." Lucius said.

Black raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Greengrass and Zabini are both dead, they were the only to Slytherins hot headed enough to do something such as casting the Dark Mark. Pettigrew is a coward; he would never dare do something like that." Malfoy took a moment and then continued. "The only person who would have a reasonable reason for doing so, is Barteimus Crouch."

Black looked astounded. "You think he, did it? Why? What would he have to gain?"

"His house elf was found with your son's wand. His house elf had come not from his family, but from his wife's family, his wife's family are noted blood purists, who had ties with the Dark Lord during the war. Indeed, Crouch's father in law continues to pose a threat to Crouch and his desires to get back into the running for minister. If he had his house elf take the wand, and cast the spell, then had her knocked out, he might have been able to play it so that he was hailed as a hero." Lucius said.

"But he was not." Black pointed out. "He was vilified for being so cruel and so careless. Just as he was back when his son was arrested. If his plan was to use the elf, it failed miserably, and now he is stuck judging a tournament he has never liked."

"Indeed, quite the unfortunate turn of events for a man of such power." Lucius conceded. "Though you must admit it is suspicious that after spending months organising the tournament and the final, the man was not there to witness it at all. Where was he during that time, and why was his house elf found with your son's wand."

Black ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "You are right on that point. Crouch never has been the same since his son was arrested. Perhaps he has cracked. Though I do not see him going to Voldemort." There was a pause, and then Black asked. "What word was there from Salisbury?"

Lucius was surprised Black knew about that, but then remembered the Blacks had always had spies in the Selwyn camp, and had done ever since the Great War of ten sixty-six. "He wants volunteers to find something within the Ministry. Something related to the Great Pact."

Black's eyes widened. "The Great Pact? Merlin! Who have you sent off to find it?"

"Crabb and Goyle. They will likely die within the place, or be caught and imprisoned." Lucius said.

"Good, you have done well Lucius." Sirius said before disconnecting the mirrors.

Lucius sighed satisfied, and then turned and poured himself a glass of whiskey before reading through the correspondence for the day.


	13. Wizengamot

Sirius felt slightly nervous as he took his seat in the Wizengamot. If he'd kept his head all those years ago, he'd be an old hand at all of this by now. But of course, he hadn't and now here he was, his first sitting in the Wizengamot as Marquess of Pembroke. The hall was filled with people, both sitting and standing, as Albus had to ensure things were running smoothly at Hogwarts, the meeting would be chaired by Fudge as Minister for Magic. Sirius nodded at Malfoy, and his cohorts, as well as at Tiberius Ogden and Elphias Doge, the two most powerful lords who owed fealty to the House of Potter. The banging of the hammer on the plaque brought the hall to attention, and Sirius turned his focus to where Cornelius Fudge sat, below the glittering throne which had remained empty for nearly a thousand years.

Fudge took a breath and then spoke. "My lords, and ladies. I thank you all for coming today. We are joined by a new member, who has been granted his titles as of the beginning of the month." Fudge gestured toward him, and Sirius stood up. "Sirius Orion Black, Marquess of Pembroke, Earl of Glamorgan and Lord Worcester. We welcome you to the Wizengamot and hope you will contribute a great many bills and laws and discussions as your father and grandfather did during their time." Sirius bowed and there was some applause.

"Thank you Minister." Sirius said. He looked around the hall and said. "And thank you, to all of you here. For welcoming me with such friendliness and openness. I hope to contribute much to the Wizengamot for as long as I am here." There was a smattering of applause and then Sirius sat down.

Fudge nodded and then spoke once more. "Before we head to the main article of this session of the Wizengamot, there is one main thing that must needs be confirmed." Fudge took a breath then continued. "My lord Black, you have put a petition before this house for it accept your adoption of Harry Potter, Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland, is this true?"

Sirius stood up. "It is Minister. Before they died, Marquess James Potter and his wife Lily named me their son's guardian and wished that should anything happen to them that I be the one to look after him." He gestured to the piece of parchment Fudge now held in his hand. "The document you hold in your hand is their last will and testament."

There was a lengthy pause as Fudge read, and re-read it, then he looked up and said to the hall at large. "I can confirm that this document is indeed the last will and testament of the Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland and his wife. I would ask that any who think that the Marquess of Pembroke should not have custody of Harry Potter raise their hands now and state their reasons why." Sirius watched as no one raised their hands, after about a minute, Fudge spoke. "The motion is passed. I confirm Harry Potter is now the adopted son of the Marquess of Pembroke." He banged his hammer on the plaque. He then spoke. "Subsequently, as he is now your son, he is also entitled to be viewed as your heir, is this your wish?"

"It is, Minister." Sirius replied. He did not want any children of his own body, never had done. He'd always felt a connection with Harry. Had done since the moment the kid had been placed in his arms as a baby.

The Minister nodded. "Does anyone object?" No one did. The Minister banged his hammer and said. "Then I confirm Harry James Potter as the heir to the Marquess of Pembroke and confirm upon him the courtesy title of the heir apparent of Earl of Glamorgan." The Minister then continued. "And of course, with him as your son, you wish to be considered as his regent, until he comes of age."

"Yes, Minister." Sirius replied.

"Then it is confirmed as such. I would request that the vassals of the House of Potter meet with Lord Black once this meeting is done to discuss the terms of their fealty." The Minister said. Sirius saw Ogden, Doge, Lupin, Patel and Wood all nod their heads in his direction. "Now that that is sorted, let us move onto the pressing business of legislation. I call Elphias Doge to the floor."

Elphias Doge, was an old man, he was bald, and had a slight stoop, but when he spoke his words carried a lot of wisdom to them. "My lords and ladies, given the recent troubles at the Quidditch World Cup, I would propose a tightening of security around magical sites. We cannot afford to have another attack occur, especially not with the muggles having an election for their own minister."

There was a smattering of approval then. Fudge looked curious and asked. "What would you suggest?"

"Memory charms, so that anyone who is not supposed to have permanent knowledge of the location they are at, forgets the place and where it is. After the attacks at the world cup, the Department for Magical Law Enforcement carried out a detailed survey of the area, and found that people had been bragging about where they were staying for the world cup. That would only have made it easier for the Death Eaters to have done as they did." Doge said. "I would also suggest that we place wards around any special locations." This drew some muttering.

"What wards exactly? And what locations?" Lionel Greengrass, Marquess of Lorne asked.

"Wards of detection and protection, of the variety that was used during the days when last a man sat the throne. They would be the most powerful wards we could use. And I would propose wards on Hogwarts, the Ministry and the Department of Magical History." Doge replied.

Sirius saw the Marquess of Salisbury stiffen at the mention of the last one, and he knew then he would need to lend his support to the motion. Fudge seemed to consider this seriously. "I think what you say is wise, my lord. Though I know that Professor Dumbledore will want to have his say over the wards on Hogwarts."

Matthew Shacklebolt laughed, the man was Kingsley Shacklebolt's brother and was a towering man. "Dumbledore might grumble about the Wizengamot trying to enforce tighter protection on the school, but considering what has happened in the past three years at the school, I think we would be more than within our rights to do so." Sirius heard as many people murmured their agreement at the statement, Fudge looked happy, but then schooled his face into a blank mask.

"Now, be that as it may, Dumbledore shall need to be consulted first." Fudge said. "Elphias, do you have anything more to add for your protection?"

Doge, who Sirius belatedly remembered was one of Dumbledore's biggest fans, looked quite put out by the criticism of his old friend, but nodded all the same. "I do. I propose that we remove the Dementors from Azkaban." As people began shouting and protesting this, Doge kept speaking. "I believe that the dementors are a grave threat to the security of the wizarding world. They have remained peaceful for the time being, because of some dark pact that Millicent Bagnold made with them, but they have been acting up as of late. You cannot deny that Minister."

Surprisingly, Fudge did not protest this, instead he nodded. "Lord Doge is correct. The dementors are no longer as safe as they once were. I have begun exchanging letters with the Greek Minister for Magic to discuss importing hydras to guard Azkaban, they are more likely to eat prisoners than set them free."

"How many would you bring in, and what would happen to the Dementors?" Lucius asked.

Fudge shifted uncomfortably, and Sirius knew the Minister had not thought that far ahead, and yet like the skilled politician he was, Fudge smiled and replied. "Right now that is up for discussion with the Greek Minister. As for the dementors, they would be returned to their homes in the northern channels. If they refused to go, then they would be destroyed."

That drew some reassured murmurs from the lords and ladies. Fudge nodded and then asked Doge. "Is that all my lord?" Doge nodded, and then Fudge spoke. "Very well, all in favour of supporting Lord Doge's proposal, raise your hands." Sirius raised his hand alongside his vassals and those of the House of Potter, and was happy when Fudge banged his hammer down. "The motion passes by three hundred votes to twenty." There was a smattering of applause, then Fudge banged his hammer and said. "If anyone has anything else they would wish to raise, please do so."

Sirius took a breath and then stood up. "I would like to propose a motion." Silence fell on the hall, and Fudge motioned for him to continue. "I would propose that this house reduces the tariffs on Wolfsbane. Right now, tariffs stand at fifteen percent of the regular price paid, this makes it unaffordable for most werewolves who are out of work due to the current laws governing our society. If we reduce the tariffs on the product, we reduce the cost and make it more affordable. Thus, prevent wild and out of control werewolves from running around."

"What would you recommend reducing the tariff to?" Fudge asked curiously.

"Two percent." Sirius replied.

That drew a chorus of outrage. Damien Rookwood, brother to the famed Death Eater, Augustus stood up then. "You would have us reduce the tariffs to a level that is not even acceptable for something as mundane as beetle juice? Why? So, that someone you know can be excused from a disease that turns them into an animal every full moon?"

Sirius fought hard to keep his temper. "I am proposing we reduce the tariff to this level, so that we might actually allow werewolves to be able to exist properly, and be able to afford something that can help them. They are already facing discrimination for something over eighty percent of them never asked for. Why should we make it harder for them?"

Rookwood looked at him with murderous intent in his eyes, and Sirius wondered briefly if it had been Damien who had pushed his brother to Voldemort, or if the man merely wanted him dead. Fudge cleared his throat and banged his hammer. "Lord Black raises a very valid point. Wolfsbane has stood as a gift for the werewolves for many years, but very few can afford it. The Department for Control of Magical Creatures conducted a survey in the summer that found that if Wolfsbane was more readily available, the productivity rate amongst werewolves would be much higher, thus contributing more to the economy. And we all know that that is a good thing. So, unless someone has any actual objections?" Here Fudge fell silent waiting, when no one spoke up, he banged his hammer and looked at Sirius. "The house will want a draft bill ready for presentation and discussion this time next week, my lord."

Sirius nodded. "The house shall have it." He would need to speak to Remus about the specifics of the bill to make sure nothing important was left out.

Fudge banged his hammer again and said. "If no one has anything else to discuss, this meeting is at an end." The hammer was banged once more, and Sirius got up and joined the procession out of the hall.

He made his way over to the floo network. Got in and said. "Pembroke Castle." He appeared back in his home got out, and dusted his robes off, nodded to Remus and said. "We will need to draft the bill, and we shall need to do it properly if we want it passed within time."

Remus nodded. "I'll get right to it."

"Is there anything I need to look at now?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing outstanding no. Everything is in order." Remus replied.


	14. Seek

Harry walked as quietly and as quickly as he could under the invisibility cloak, knowing that if he was caught, he'd never hear the end of it. The egg was in one hand, the map and his want in the other. So far so good. No one was out and about, and that gave him time to think about what he'd heard. The second task would involve going into the lake to recover something that had been taken from him, what that thing was, he did not know, but he was certain he wasn't going to like it. He needed to figure out a way to breathe underwater, Gillyweed was what he was thinking of using, and he'd need to think of a way to get it, he highly doubted Snape would help him. He looked at the map, and nearly shat himself, Snape was coming right at him, as was Filch and Peeves. Shit, that was going to be an explosive encounter.

Just as he thought that, Peeves whooshed into view, the Gryffindor entrance was right in front of Harry, but he couldn't move, not without alerting the damned ghost to his presence. "Wheee. Now the time has come for the school to awaken to the sound of the great chorus of bells." Peeves bellowed loudly, causing the portraits lining the wall to complain loudly.

Harry edged forward, clutching his wand, the map and the egg tightly. He heard Filch limping into sight. "Peeves, you come here right now!" The old caretaker bellowed. More complaining from the portraits.

Peeves looked as if he didn't care. "Oh come now Filchie, you know what I have to tell you would be far better than any punishment you could give me."

Filch stopped, his eyes widened. "What?"

"I know about someone who's been stealing for the professors. I know about someone who has been communicating with bad people. I know about someone who is dancing around the headmaster." Peeves taunted.

Harry listened intently then, what could Peeves have discovered? It seemed Filch was intrigued by this as well. "Well? What is it?"

Peeves blew a big bubble out into the air and watched it pop. He giggled manically. "I won't tell you, unless you promise me something."

"Why would I promise you anything Peeves?!" Filch demanded, Harry could have sworn his eyes were going to bugle out of their sockets.

"Because what I've got to tell you will make your whole life at this place seem worthwhile. Why the Headmaster will have to give you a raise." Peeves said tauntingly.

Harry could tell that Filch was torn, torn between wanting to hear what Peeves had to say, and wanting to shout at Peeves and finally bring him in for wrongdoing. Harry turned slowly under the cloak, his wand had dimmed the light on its own accord when he'd stopped, and now he was very thankful for that. Peeves was hovering right in front of the Fat Lady's Portrait, how he was going to get there and passed Peeves, Harry did not know, and it was starting to make him nervous. Eventually, Filch sighed. "Fine, out with it."

Peeves opened his mouth to begin speaking, but just as he was about to Snape appeared in a billowing tangle of black cloak and oily hair. "Argus, what is the meaning of this?" Snape asked in his venomous voice.

"Peeves here says he has something worth listening to. Says someone has been dancing around the headmaster." Filch replied.

Snape gave one look at Peeves, and Harry could have sworn the potions master saw right through him as well. "Well? What is it?" Snape demanded.

Peeves huffed, it was clear to the ghost that he'd not be able to make the same sort of demands of a teacher such as Snape, as he could Filch. "I was drifting passed the corridor on the fifth floor, you know the one with the big stairs and ugly woman guarding it, when I heard a strange voice. I went to find the source of the voice, and as I drifted nearer, I heard what sounded like a man, he was calling out all kinds of obscenities. I think he was mad. He was saying how the Dark Lord was growing stronger, and how the Dark Mark was gaining in power. He also said that his plan was nearly complete, and that soon enough Potter would be lying dead on the ground."

Harry felt his blood go cold, was there a Death Eater here? Was Karkaroff back to his old ways? Filch looked terrified, Snape's face was blank. "Did you get a look at the man?"

"No, but I did see the person he was speaking to. Or rather the thing." Peeves said.

"And? Who was it?" Snape asked.

"A House Elf. I do not know her name, for the man never said it. But she was trying to get him to avoid doing this, to avoid doing whatever it was he was going to do. He ignored her for a while, and then blasted her away when he thought she was getting quite annoying. Truthfully, I think he was mad." Peeves replied.

Snape nodded, then he turned to Filch and said. "Get the headmaster. Tell him it is urgent."

Filch trotted off to do just that, and Snape remained with his wand out, and Peeves floated in the air just in front of the Fat Lady's Portrait, Harry could feel his arms beginning to weaken from the strain of holding the cloak, the egg, the map and the wan for so long. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Headmaster appeared. "Severus, what did you want?" The Professor asked calmly.

"Peeves here, says that he has heard some disturbing things. Tell the headmaster what you told me." Snape commanded. Peeves nodded and repeated what he'd said, Harry watched as the Headmaster's face remained expressionless, only once did it change and that was when Harry's name was mentioned.

Once Peeves was done, the Headmaster turned to Snape and said. "Summon the other teachers to the staff room, Severus, Argus alert the ghosts and the castle armour, they are to follow protocol nine." Both men nodded and hurried off. "Peeves, I want you to get the House Elves into order down in the kitchens, can you do that for me?" the ghost nodded and disappeared. The headmaster looked right at Harry, nodded to himself and then walked off.

As soon as the headmaster was gone, Harry said the password and jumped into the common room, he threw off the cloak and placed the egg on the table. Neville came over and asked. "Did it work then? Did you figure out what the clue was?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, you were right Nev. How did you know to go to the prefect's bathroom?"

Neville shrugged. "Just an estimated guess." Then he asked. "So, what is it you have to do?"

Harry placed his wand back in his pocket, and folded the map up and did the same with it, before picking up his cloak. "I have to go into the lake, and rescue something special of mine, from the merpeople. I'll have an hour to do it in, otherwise there will be consequences."

Neville nodded. "Well that does add up with what I know of previous second tasks. What do you think they'll take?"

"I'm not sure, the only things I've got that really count as special to me, are my cloak, my wand, Hedwig and my firebolt." He would say the map as well, but really, Neville didn't need to know about that.

"All things that wouldn't really last underwater." Neville pointed out. "Perhaps they'll take someone who is special to you then?"

"Yeah probably." Harry said, thinking he knew who might go, and feeling embarrassed about it. "Anyway," he said changing the subject. "I think Gillyweed will likely be the best bet for me in terms of getting through the task. The only question I can think of is, where to get it from."

"I know Snape has it stored away, but I don't think he'd give it to you, even if he wanted to. I mean, I could ask Professor Sprout for some, I know she has some somewhere, but she'd want to know why." Neville said.

"How long does it take to make?" Harry asked, wondering if he could rope Hermione and Ron into this.

"A long time, the second task is what, in three months? It takes a year to make it properly." Neville said.

"Ah." Harry said. He might need to ask Dobby for some help, no doubt the house elf would help him. "Nev?" He began. "How long has Peeves been at the school?"

Neville looked slightly confused by the change in conversation, but soon he adapted. "I know he was here when my gran was a student here. I think he was a troublemaker even then. I think he's been here for a long time. Why?"

"It's just that, as I was coming back, he and Filch got into it, and then he told Snape that he saw something up on the fifth floor. I wasn't aware there was a fifth floor on this side of the castle." Harry stated.

Neville's eyebrows shot up. "Neither was I. I mean I'd heard a rumour that there was a fifth floor, on this side, but I had always thought it was just that a rumour."

"What's so special about it?" Harry asked. It hadn't appeared on the map, and if anyone would've known about it, it would've been his dad and Sirius.

"I'm not sure, but supposedly, it's where the founders kept some of their darkest secrets, the things the histories only hint at." Neville replied. "Why, what do you think Peeves was doing there?"

"He said he was just floating about when he heard someone up there. Someone who was rambling about Voldemort and how the thing was getting stronger, and how soon enough I'd be dead." Harry said, in a rush. "There was a house elf there as well, trying to get the man to calm down."

"Did Peeves see what the man looked like?" Neville asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, he didn't go that far."

Neville sighed. "Well, I'm sure the headmaster and the teachers will sort it out." Harry nodded, though he had his doubts, he'd need to write to Sirius. "Anyway, Harry mate, I'm going off to bed. Night."

"Night." Harry said, he waited for a little bit, and then he got up, picked up his egg and walked up to the dorm, where he put his things back into their place, and got changed and into bed. He tossed and turned for a little while, but eventually sleep found him, it was a sweet relief.

 _The pages of the book were there, staring him in the face. He could not read the words, but they were there. "Wormtail, tell me what this says." His voice was high, a child's voice._

 _"It says that the throne was cast into stone, and the sceptre was thrown out into regions unknown, when the King died." Wormtail said._

 _"And where was the sword?" He asked demandingly._

 _"It was buried in a place where none would think to look." Wormtail replied._

 _"But you are sure that it is there in the Ministry?" He asked, though he already knew, Wormtail was so easy to read._

 _"Yes, James had mentioned it once, when he was tired off of duty. Something about Bagnold wanting it protected properly." Wormtail said._

 _"Ah, Millicent, she was always a good woman to us wasn't she, Wormtail?" He said._

 _"Yes, my lord, very good." Wormtail nodded, though he could tell the rat was lying._

 _"Send word to Selwyn, tell him Lucius will send three people who he expects to fail. Tell him to have extra precautions in place. We shall want the sword, before the ritual begins." He said._

 _"Yes my lord." Wormtail replied._

 _"And tell our friend that the boy needs to know more about his ancestor, about our ancestor." He said._

 _"Of course." Wormtail replied and then bowed and hurried off to do as he asked._


	15. Young Love

He felt the sweat beginning to build on his hands, he swallowed, took a deep breath and then moved forward. "Lavender?" Ron asked. Lavender turned around to look at him and he felt his heart flip. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd maybe wanna walk with me for a bit?"

Lavender smiled at him. "Sure."

Ron smiled back and together they walked out of the Divinations classroom, down the steps and out into the grounds. His heart was thumping loudly. "So, how did you find that lesson?" He asked.

"It was really good, I found the use of tarot cards to be really interesting." Lavender said. "I think they're a new way of finding out things we once thought we'd forgotten. How about you?"

Ron blinked for a moment, had they been using tarot cards? He'd not been paying attention, he never paid attention during Divination Lessons, but he knew he couldn't say that, so instead he said. "Yeah, I found it alright. Certainly, more interesting than hearing Trelawney predict Harry's death."

Lavender giggled, and Ron found that he liked the sound of her laughter much more up close. "Yeah, that does get old quite quickly. I don't know why she does it so often. Do you think she's trying to cover up for something?"

Now that surprised him, he'd never thought Lavender might actually see Trelawney as a fake. "I'm not sure. What do you think?"

Lavender pursed her lips in thought. "I think there are times when she's really on the money, like that time when she predicted that the dementors would hit the grounds during the game against Hufflepuff, and there are other times where I think she's just sort of flitting around, trying to seem relevant."

Ron remembered that game, the dementors had swarmed the pitch had Harry had plummeted. "Wait? When did she predict that the dementors would do that?"

"Oh, it was during one of the lessons when you and Harry were busy pretending to be making up ailments that would hit you. Everyone else heard it and panicked, but then she blinked and acted as if she hadn't just made such a prediction, so no one was sure whether to take her seriously or not. Then of course the dementors did swarm the pitch." Lavender said.

Ron blinked. "I see…" then he caught onto the last bit of what she'd said. "Wait, you know about that? Me and Harry making up ailments?"

Lavender giggled again, causing Ron's cheeks to hit. "Yeah. I mean I don't think she does, but everyone else does. I mean, how many times can you get hit by the black omen before it becomes obvious you're either cursed or making it up."

Ron laughed. "Yeah that's true. Though, if it keeps her off our backs, I think we'll likely keep doing it." He belatedly remembered that Lavender was Trelawney's favourite student and hurriedly asked. "You won't tell her, will you?"

Lavender shook her head. "Of course not. It'll be our little secret." She smiled at him then, and he smiled back.

"I'd like that." He replied.

"So," Lavender began. "I've been meaning to ask you, how have you been able to learn how to do the advanced concealment charm when even Hermione is struggling with it?"

Ron felt his cheeks heat up a bit more. "I don't know, truth be told. It just comes easily to me, it's quite simply really. You just think about not wanting something to be shown, really badly, and then you say the spell."

"Could you show me?" Lavender asked.

Ron nodded. He took out his wand, it was a new one, ten inches, dragon core, bought over the summer. He pointed at a blade of grass in front of them and whispered. "Obculo." The blade of grass disappeared. "Releaso." He muttered and the blade appeared once more.

Lavender clapped. "That's really good."

"Thanks." Ron replied. They walked on a bit more, and Ron knew he'd need to ask her soon, otherwise his nerve would fail. He went to open his mouth but then Lavender spoke.

"You know, I think we might be getting a new Defence Against The Dark Arts Teacher, next year."

"Oh?" Ron questioned, he hoped not, he really liked Moody.

"Yeah, my mum wrote to me to say that Dumbledore asked Dad to look into Moody." Lavender said.

"Why would Dumbledore want to look into Moody? They've known each other for years, haven't they?" Ron asked surprised.

"That's what I thought. But apparently, Moody's been acting more paranoid than usual, and apparently, Dumbledore's not sure that Moody's really all there. Which wouldn't be surprising when you think about everything he had to do during the war." Lavender pointed out.

"That's true." Ron conceded, shivering slightly at the memory of the stories he'd heard from Fred and George about the things Moody had done during the war, on the orders of Millicent Bagnold and Barty Crouch.

"I hope we get someone new and exciting like Professor Lupin. He taught us stuff that was really useful, not like learning about the Unforgivable Curses." Lavender said.

"I think having someone who was a mixture of the two would be the best. That way we know both worlds." Ron said.

"You think?" Lavender asked sounding sceptical.

"Yeah, I mean things are getting hotter out there, in the actual world. You know with Jorkins having gone missing, William Bagnold disappearing, and Trevor Picknese having turned up dead. We need to know everything we can." Ron said.

Lavender nodded her head. "I suppose that's true." They kept walking and then they got near the lake, and Ron knew he would need to ask her now.

His mouth was suddenly dry. He swallowed and then spoke. "Lavender." She turned to look at him. "The next Hogsmeade day's this weekend and I know it's quite late to ask, but I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

Lavender smiled. "I'd love to."

Ron grinned. "Great. I'll pick you up at ten, shall I?"

"Ten sounds great." Lavender said. They walked back to the common room then, chatting happily about everything and nothing, once Ron had seen her through to the common room, he turned and went to the Library where Harry and Neville were sat pouring over books for the second task. Hermione had an exam or something.

They both stuck their heads up and asked. "How did it go?"

Ron grinned. "She said yes."

"That's great." Harry said.

"Yeah, congrats mate." Neville said. Ron wasn't sure what to make of Neville joining their little group, but for right now, he was okay with it.

He sat down on Harry's left and asked in a whisper. "What have you found?"

"Well, from what we can tell, the merpeople live somewhere near the bottom of the lake. So, whatever it is that they take, it'll be down there. Which means that it'll take Harry at least half an hour to get down there. And that's if the judges haven't asked other creatures to interfere." Neville said.

"What else is there in the lake? Apart from the giant squid?" Ron asked.

"Well there are the merpeople obviously. There's the grindilows. There are all kinds of plants there that would play a role in tangling someone's feet or hands." Neville said.

"And there's a rumour that Nereus the Sea King might be there as well." Harry said.

"Nereus? Why would he be in the lake? I thought the myth was that he preferred the ocean?" Ron asked.

"Aye, that's one of the things about this task though. It seems that in the past, he was there to confront the champions, and demand something from them in return for allowing them to meet with his children and to rescue their hostages. Yet, in one of the later tournaments he came very close to killing the Hogwarts champion. Because the kid was too arrogant." Neville said.

"Blimey, who was the champion?" Ron asked.

"Ignotous Potter." Harry said.

Ron gasped, and then coughed to disguise it. "Blimey."

"That's what we thought." Harry said.

Ron nodded and then asked. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Not really, we're about to head out anyway." Harry replied.

"Right," Ron said, getting up. "I'll meet you in the common room." He got up and walked out of the library hurrying along until he was back in the common room, when he got there he found Fred and George and said simply. "We need to tell Harry as soon as possible."

The twins nodded. "We will. Before Christmas, Mum has said its okay for us to do so."

"Why can't we do it now?" Ron asked. "He's already read about Ignotous Potter competing in the Triwizard tournament."

"Yes, but we don't know anything about that do we. We only know about the stuff relating to us. That's what we need to tell him about." Fred said.

"So, why can't we tell him about it now?" Ron demanded.

Fred sighed. "Actually, you know what you're right."

The entrance opened, Neville came in and went straight to the dorm, Harry idled over to them. "Hermione still at her exam?"

Ron nodded and then said. "Harry, there's something we need to tell you." Before he could continue though, there was a loud bang, a scream, and Parvati Patil appeared covering her face, which was bleeding profusely.

Suddenly Professor McGonagall was there, calling for them all to file out, as she and Professor Moody went to search the girl's dormitory. Hours later they were allowed back in, but Harry did not ask them, and a look from Fred said now was not the right time to bring it up. Later, tomorrow perhaps, when everything was calmer.


	16. Ignotous

"What do you think will happen now?" Harry asked. Since the explosion in the girl's dorm, there'd been patrols of the common room and the various dorms every hour on the hour. Professor McGonagall and Professor Moody were always there, and the Prefects were doing the rounds as well. It was quite intimidating.

"Likely they'll keep looking until they find any evidence of someone having actually planted the thing that exploded. Until then, we're going to have to put up with Moody's magical eye." Fred replied.

"Why would someone place a thing like that in the girl's dorm though? What were they hoping to achieve?" Ron asked.

"Shock I think." Hermione said.

"Shock?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "It's not what anyone would really be expecting. Everyone knows you were entered the tournament against your will. Anyone who didn't changed their mind after the first task. But whoever it was who entered you into the tournament clearly doesn't want people forgetting that fact. So, they staged a dangerous thing such as the explosion, in Gryffindor, and now people are wondering about safety."

"So, they're essentially hurting innocent people to make a point?" Ron asked outraged.

Hermione nodded and Harry felt guilt sweep through him, Parvati had been hurt because of the explosion and because of him. He looked at Hermione and asked. "How is Parvati doing?"

"She's still a bit shaken, but she's getting better. She's just happy the thing didn't go off at its full blast." Hermione replied.

George leaned in then. "She knows what that thing was?"

"Yes. She says she has a cousin who worked removing them from toxic sites in India for a year, he explained how they work and how they go off to her." Hermione said.

"Ah…" Fred said. "Did she tell them where such a thing might come from?"

"Mainly from Pakistan or from Wales." Hermione said.

"Those are two very different sorts of countries." Harry pointed out.

"Yes, though if it came from Wales, that wouldn't surprise me." Neville said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well during the war, Voldemort attracted a lot of wizards from Wales, who knew the art of the fire sheep spell, which essentially conjured bombs made up of sheep skin and meat. It made them quite hard to defuse due to some Brittonic magic the wizards used. It wreaked havoc in the Midlands." Neville stated.

"So, this thing that exploded, it was a sheep skin thing?" Ron asked.

"From what the teachers have deduced yes." Hermione said.

"Well that makes it harder to pin point who could've done it. No one from Gryffindor was from Wales, nor were their families Death Eaters." Ron said.

"Though someone could have invited a friend in from elsewhere. There are a lot of people from Ravenclaw who come from Wales." Neville said.

"Yeah, but I don't think anyone from Ravenclaw was a Death Eater though." Fred said.

"Well, wasn't there that rumour about Millicent Bagnold?" George asked.

"Wait? The former Minister for Magic was rumoured to be a Death Eater?" Hermione asked fascinated.

Fred and George exchanged heated glances, and then Fred sighed. "Yeah, Bill mentioned it to us when we were little. Apparently, her connection with the Dementors raised a massive red flag for some at the Ministry. Rightfully so considering how bloody dark those things are. Everyone else feels cold around them, but not Bagnold, she remained cheerful and upright. The rumour was there was a lot of darkness in her and her family, that she and her family had tricked the sorting hat, into putting them into Ravenclaw for years, when really they should've been in Slytherin."

"But that's just a rumour, right?" Hermione asked. "I mean, nothing can trick the sorting hat. That's the whole point of it."

Fred sighed. "Some would argue so, but there have been some cases where the Sorting Hat has been fooled." Fred looked at George and then said. "Do you know much about your dad's year at Hogwarts Harry?"

Harry shook his head, Sirius hadn't really mentioned it in his letters, and he'd never thought to ask. "Apart from knowing that Sirius, my dad and Remus were all in Gryffindor together and that Bertha Jorkins was in Gryffindor with them, no."

"Well there you go. Jorkins, Dad says she was always a bit empty headed, should have been a Hufflepuff, not a Gryffindor, yet somehow during her sorting she fooled the hat into putting her into Gryffindor. Then there was William Bagnold, son of old Millicent. He was the smartest wizard of his generation, per Dad. One of the brightest, tipped for a bright future, cunning as well. He was put in Ravenclaw like his mother, but apparently, he should have been in Slytherin." George said.

"Why because he was cunning?" Hermione asked sceptically.

"Yes, and because accidents had a penchant for happening around him, to those who angered or annoyed him. Dad told us that when he was in his seventh year, Bagnold was in his third year, and apparently, some kid in Hufflepuff insulted his mother and the next thing they knew the kid was in Saint Mungo's bleeding from the inside. Bagnold didn't have his wand on him and couldn't cast a non-verbal spell. So, how did that kid end up there? Then there's the case of what happened to Pettigrew during his time there. Pettigrew was a rat, everyone agreed, but he stuck to James and Sirius and Remus, and then he disappeared. He'd said something to Bagnold, but Bagnold couldn't do what happened to Pettigrew."

Harry had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. "What happened to him?"

"He was missing half of his left pinkie. Madam Pomfrey apparently had to make it grow again." Fred said.

"So, it's highly likely that someone could've done something such as plant the thing that nearly killed Parvati, and they'd have slipped under the radar?" Neville asked.

"Just like Ignotous Potter." Ron said.

"What does he have to do with this?" Hermione asked.

Harry wondered why they were talking about an ancestor of his, but he decided to remain quiet, better to wait and see. Fred sighed. "Harry, how much do you know about your family?"

Harry thought for a moment and then said. "Sirius has told me that I am the Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland, but I don't quite understand what that means, nor do I understand what some distant ancestor of mine has to do with any of this?"

Neville spoke. "You're one of the most powerful and wealthiest nobles in the wizarding world, Harry. At least in Britain, and your voting position can help influence almost half the Wizengamot."

Harry was impressed by this, and made a note to do more reading into it when he had the chance. "Still, what does Ignotous have to do with this?"

Surprisingly, it was Ron who spoke. "Well like most of your family, he was sorted into Gryffindor when he came to the school in the seventeen hundreds. He was by all accounts smart, charming and handsome. Everyone loved him. But there was a dark current to him."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"He tricked people into doing things that would harm them and their loved ones. Spells, oaths, all sorts of things that even then were considered dangerous." Fred said.

"Give me an example." Harry asked, hoping that it wouldn't be something serious, he hoped so at least.

"He got a boy in his year to walk down to the lake and poke his wand into it, causing the great squid to pull the boy down. They only got the boy out through coercing the squid to release him. He convinced a girl in the year above him to walk to the forbidden forest and provoke a herd of Vypren. The girl only survived because Ignotous and the Vypren had a deal." Fred said.

Harry felt horrified. "Why was he not expelled?"

"Because his father was Arthur Potter, the man who had saved the wizarding world from complete destruction." George said.

"So, he got off because his father was powerful?" Harry asked feeling disgusted, his ancestors sounded just like the Malfoys.

"Yes. And because when that last incident happened, he was a Triwizard champion. The school could not afford to have their champion be expelled." Fred said.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, he felt slightly sick. He felt someone taking his hand in theirs, and looked down and then up and saw it was Hermione, he smiled weakly at her and then looked at Fred and George. "How come you're telling me this now?" He wondered why they'd never told him this before, and then remembered that he'd never asked. Perhaps he needed to be more inquisitive.

"Because we think whoever planted that sheep thing, is also the person who put your name in the goblet. And we think whoever they are, they are working for You Know Who, and he went after your family during the war. At first he thought your dad was another Ignotous Potter, but then he realised the pranks your dad pulled were just pranks, but there was someone in his inner circle who didn't see it that way. There was someone who wanted revenge. And we think they're trying to take their revenge now." Fred said.

Harry sighed, his shoulders slumped. "Great, so a potentially dangerous mad man is out to get me, for something that I didn't do, and something my dad probably never did. Isn't life just great?"

Hermione squeezed his hand and said. "Well, you know they won't be able to get in here again. Not with all the wards that have been placed in the common room and the entire tower. And around the school."

"Does anyone know what's on the fifth floor?" Ron asked in an attempt to change the subject, Harry sent Ron a grateful smile and then was suddenly aware that Hermione was still holding his hand.

George spoke. "Well we did a bit of digging. What we found suggests it is nothing more than rumour. It's simply a solid mass of wall, that only the headmaster and one other teacher can get to."

"So, how was Peeves able to get to see it?" Harry asked sitting up, feeling the loss of Hermione's hand in his.

"Because the hallway was open, whoever he heard, knew how to get into the place. How, I don't know. Nothing we've found or seen suggests that there is some sort of spell that can be said. Someone needs to know exactly where it is, and only the headmaster and one other person can know that. So, unless the other person was the one who wants you dead, I think they must have found a breech." Fred said.

"Or they could have been using Polyjuice Potion." Ron said suddenly. When they looked at him he blushed. "I heard Snape grumbling at Potions today that someone was stealing from his stores, he was trying to blame us, like he did in Second Year, but well, he went off a bit." Fred and George and Neville were looking at them then, but thankfully, the opening of the common room door, stopped them from asking any questions.

Parvati walked in, her face clean, a smile on her face. Hermione got up and greeted her. "How are you feeling?" Harry asked as the girls sat down.

"Much better thanks, Harry. I think it was just the shock that kept me there for longer than a day." Parvati said.

"Well, we're glad you're okay." Neville said smiling, Parvati smiled her thanks and then turned to Hermione.

"The Headmaster wants to see you Hermione, said it was urgent."

Hermione nodded as if understanding, she nodded to the rest of them and then got up and walked out the common room. As she left, Neville and Parvati started talking about something to do with charms, Ron and Fred and George were debating quidditch. Harry got up, and walked to the dorm, he'd need to write to Sirius, and see if he could learn more about his family. Ignotous Potter, that was a name that wasn't going to leave him anytime soon.


	17. Wolfsbane

_'You think wars are begun when the first spell is cast? My boy, the first war with Voldemort didn't start when he openly killed his first person, it began long before that. It began when a couple of doddering old fools nodded their heads when a young charming aristocrat talked them into doing nothing whilst our world and our people bled to death. When our society was told, you could not be a believer in tradition and wanting to embrace the future. That you had to choose. And you had to choose fast. Voldemort took that and he made people fear it, people don't like having choices. Oh, they claim to, but really, really, they want someone there holding their hand, poking them to the right choice. People are sheep, my dear boy, and to control sheep you need a sheep dog, and a cane. Voldemort realised that, we did not, not until it was too late. Millions bled because of that. If you want to prevent another war, you must not think about the battlefield, you must think about politics. Politics is always the first battlefield; generals prepare their wands and their killing fields on the ground of the chamber. Never forget that my boy, never forget."_

Sirius sat in the chamber of the Wizengamot, today was the day he would present the first draft of the Wolfsbane bill, he believed it was well written. They'd tried to cover everything that came into their heads, and cover every criticism or hole that might emerge. Really, they'd done it all, now it was just a case of placing it before the Wizengamot. Fudge banged his hammer. "Order, order. Thank you all, now today, we have two issues. The Marquess of Pembroke shall present the first draft of his Wolfsbane bill for consideration, and Lord Diggory shall present his findings on the enquiry into Bertha Jorkins." There was a silent nod of approval. "Marquess?"

Sirius stood up, his black robes billowed a little behind him. He took a deep breath and then began. "My lords and ladies, thank you for giving me this opportunity. The bill I present today has gone through much drafting and editing before it could be presented to you here as a first draft. There are three main parts to this bill. The first part is that that the ingredients used for the Wolfsbane potion are very rare and hard to find, this is something I understand giving the strength of the potion and its ability. I believe that we must bring these goods here, to Britain and ensure that they are raised in greenhouses which are modified to suit the climate needed for their growth. I believe that by doing this we shall create more purpose for the greenhouses lying empty in Scotland and England and Wales. We shall also ensure that we are not being swindled out of proper potions by the Europeans, and as such we shall also be able to make sure that the goods within the potion are exactly what they are supposed to be. Not like what happened to Seamus Doyle." That was an unfortunate incident.

Sirius paused, and allowed that first part to be digested, when no one raised their hand to state an objection he continued. "Secondly, I believe, as I stated last time this session met, that we must reduce the tariffs charged on the potion. If we do as I have asked in the first part of the bill, I believe tariffs will become unnecessary. However, if we do not do the first part, then I believe we must reduce the tariffs down from fifteen percent to a more acceptable two percent. Werewolves are by our own laws unable to find proper and long lasting work, and as such are often lacking in money to pay the costs to cover the potion. This leads to them trying to find other ways of coping, often with disastrous consequences, for themselves and for others." He thought of what Remus had told him and very nearly threw up again, he pushed that memory down and looked around the hall. Every eye was on him, nobody was looking elsewhere, it was quite intimidating. He cleared his throat and continued. "The third and final part of the bill, is that I believe we must have a consultation with the werewolves. We must discuss what benefits they find with the current Wolfsbane potion if they can afford it, and what they think needs to be changed. I think we must ensure a dialogue with them is a priority, for it is no good trying to improve the lives of a group, if they are not even aware that you are doing it." He finished, took a sip of water, and then said. "That is the bill in essence." He sat down.

Fudge nodded, seemingly impressed, if the slight smirk on his face was any indication. "Thank you my lord of Pembroke, now if anyone has anything they wish to raise about this bill, please let them do so now."

There was a long moment of silence and then Thorfinn Rowle, Hereditary High Steward and Earl of Norfolk and Strathearn, stood up. Rowle was slightly older than Sirius, perhaps in his late thirties, he was unmarried, and his brother had fought in the wizarding war for Voldemort, whilst his father and he had remained neutral. Their mother had been the one to kill his brother. Rowle was a man Sirius had respected before, he wondered what the man would say now. "My lords, my ladies, Lord Black, I thank you for opening this bill for discussion. I can see where the Marquess is coming from, but on points one and two of the bill, I have this to say. The making of Wolfsbane would be a very complicated art, and would require a master of potions such as very few of us are. The growing of the ingredients can and should be handled here, but where would we find the people to brew the potion necessary? Has Lord Black thought of that?"

Sirius stood up. "I thank Lord Rowle for his question. And yes, I have thought of that. Severus Snape is a skilled potions master, and having spoken with him, he suggests that there are some seventy other potion brewers within the country who are just as skilled if not more so than him." That had been amusing. "I believe that if we speak with them, and explain our reasons for doing this and the extra demand and salary they would receive, they would be more than willing to go ahead and do it for us."

There were murmurs of approval from the house, Rowle stood up once more and asked. "And what would you propose we do about the charges we would incur from the European Commission on Wizarding Potions when we put this motion before them?"

"We tell them the truth. We tell them that they are charging an extortionate amount for something that should be cheaply available. And that we are no longer will to subject ourselves to such nonsense." Sirius replied.

Rowle smiled. "Very well." The man sat down, as did Sirius.

Fudge looked between the two of them evidently trying to figure out if something had changed in the mood of the hall, when he reached whatever conclusion he did, he smiled, banged his hammer on the table and said. "Very well, if no one has any other questions they would like to ask?" Nobody raised a hand or said anything. "I would then like for this bill to be put to a vote. All in favour raise your hand, any who disagree keep hands down."

Sirius raised his hand as did what seemed like the entire house. When the counting was done, Fudge called out the result. "The Wolfsbane bill passes with three hundred and seventy-six votes for, and only twenty against." The hammer clacked down on the table and Sirius smiled. One thing done. "Now, Lord Diggory if you would please present your findings."

Amos Diggory was a man of middle height, with a mop of brown hair, he was smart, that much Sirius knew, if uninspiring. His voice was loud and clear though. "Thank you Minister. My lords and ladies, since she went missing in May of this year, Bertha Jorkins has missed over three hundred reports for work, and some one hundred and seventy meetings with her boss, Ludo Bagman. However, Bagman has not sent a search party for her, nor has he bothered contacting her parents or other family. In short he has done nothing. Now, when asked, Mr Bagman wrote it off and said, Jorkins was always missing things, and that when she returned, she would come up with some excuse."

Sirius snorted, and said. "He wouldn't be wrong there my lords. Bertha Jorkins was always missing something when she was at school."

There was a chorus of laughter at that, and even Diggory smiled, but then he turned sombre. "Whilst that might be true my lord of Black, what one must remember is that Jorkins has been missing for some six months now. No one has heard anything from her, not her parents, not her siblings, not any former partners, no one. That Bagman has not sent anyone out to look for her is most worrying."

Sirius could see why, Fudge spoke then. "What do you recommend we do?"

"I recommend we send an investigative party chaired by two high ranking aurors to Albania, where she was said to have been on holiday. From there have the aurors scope out any and all sights that she could have gone to. We must also work with the Albanian Ministry to make sure that they are fully aware of this. I would also suggest that we search through the Jorkins estates and their former properties as well. It is possible she could have returned there, and not told anyone." Diggory said.

Albania? That was where Voldemort was supposed to have been seen last, when he'd been a pale shadow. Sirius looked at Malfoy who was sat below him, and the man barely inclined his head in Sirius' direction, acknowledging the unasked question. Sirius thought about getting up and speaking about this, but decided against it, he did not have enough proof for the matter just yet. Instead he listened as Tiberius Ogden got up and said. "Why do we not bring Bagman in for questioning properly? The man is Jorkins boss, whether or not she has a dismal memory is neither here nor there. I do not care if he is a former quidditch star, he is a Ministry employee, he must be asked why he has done so little, for one of his own." There was a smattering of applause at that, and Sirius remembered how Ogden had stood up and spoken just as passionately about the need to reform the armed wing of the Wizengamot during the first war, when he'd attended a session with his grandfather.

Fudge banged his hammer and silence fell. "Very well. I agree with Tiberius. We must bring Ludo in for questioning, before the second task of the Triwizard tournament. Lord Diggory that is your task, to question him and ensure everything is in order before the task." Diggory bowed his head and then Fudge banged his hammer once more. "This session is over."

Sirius got up and hurried out of the chamber, taking the floo back to Pembroke where Remus was waiting for him, he nodded to his friend and then hugged him. "The bill was passed; it will be made into law at the next session."

Remus smiled. "That's fantastic!"

"Also," Sirius said pulling away and becoming grim then. "We need to ask Dumbledore about Albania, and why Voldemort continued using it."

Remus nodded. "I'll get right on it." his friend moved to the door and then stopped. "There's a letter for you from Harry." He handed the letter over and then walked out of the room, Sirius opened the letter and read it eagerly, grinning as he heard the words his son wrote in his son's voice.


	18. Yule Ball

It felt nice to be dressed up, the dress her mother and she had bought fit her well, and judging by the way Viktor kept staring at her, it seemed she looked nice. Hermione blushed slightly, she couldn't believe she was dancing with Viktor Krum, an international quidditch star, that was something strange. At the same time, there was a small pang that she wasn't dancing with Harry, that she wasn't opening the ball up with Harry. She reminded herself that she only felt that pang because she and Harry were very good friends, and Harry hadn't looked too comfortable with Parvati, but as she chanced a look, Parvati was laughing at something Harry was saying and there was a slight dim in her happiness. She shook that off and focused back on Viktor and helping him guide them through the twirls and the movements. He was not a natural dancer and was slightly slow on his feet, but he was trying and really that was all she could ask for. He twirled her, and then brought her back, and the dance changed, now it was a quick dance. They move together, and through the gathering crowd, there was a cheer, and Hermione swore she saw Ron smiling at her, Lavender on his arm looking like the happiest person in the world.

Hermione was very happy for Ron and Lavender, their date had gone very well at Hogsmeade, from what Lavender had told her. Ron had taken her to Madam Rosmerta's and then off to a little restaurant he'd found. They'd talked and kissed, and really, Lavender was just so very happy with Ron, that Hermione was pleased. Ron hadn't said much about the date, apart from Lavender had said yes when he'd asked her to come to the ball with him. They made a good couple that much Hermione knew, and she was somewhat surprised at herself for the thought. She had never imagined playing match maker, she'd never understood the girls who did that when she was at school before, nor did she really understand it now. Yet as she and Viktor danced, she found herself thinking that Dean and Ginny would make a very good couple, though Ron might try and knock Dean's teeth out. Neville who was dancing with Hannah Abbot, seemed quite happy as well, and perhaps they'd make a good couple. Hannah was talkative, and loved herbology the same as Neville, and they seemed to always be talking when they were in the library. It was an interesting thing that.

The second dance ended, and the third dance began, the rest of the guests were now filling out onto the dance floor. Hermione looked at Viktor and raised an eyebrow in question, Viktor smiled and nodded. Happy, Hermione smiled and they continued dancing. The music picked up speed it was a mixture of a slow dance and the Gay Gordon's at least that was how she thought of it. They moved up and down the floor, to cheers from the others, as other couples did the same. Eventually, the music reached a crescendo and then ended. There was a smattering of applause for the band, the Three Witches, who were supposed to be very good. Hermione would agree with that statement. In the lull that came with the end of the third song, Viktor leaned over and asked her. "Do you mind if ve sit down?"

Seeing Harry walking to a table, Hermione shook her head. "No, of course not." They walked to the same table where Harry was now sat. He looked slightly tired, but smiled when he saw her, her heart did an odd flip. "Do you mind if we join you?" She asked.

"Of course not, do sit down." Harry said moving a few chairs around so that she and Viktor could sit down.

"Where's Parvati?" Hermione asked once she'd sat down.

"Oh, I think something happened to Padma, so she's gone to check on her. I said I'd sit here and wait for her." Harry replied.

Hermione nodded, and then asked him. "How are you finding the ball?"

"It's good, not as bad as I first thought it would be. How about yourselves?" Harry asked.

"I'm loving it." Hermione replied, surprised by how candid she was being.

"I am enjoying it. It is different to what ve have in Bulgaria." Viktor said then.

Hermione could tell Harry's interest was piqued then for he leaned forward and asked. "Oh? What do you in Bulgaria for these sorts of things?"

Harry had become a lot more interested in wizarding culture since learning about Ignotous Potter and receiving a letter from Sirius, that he still refused to say had mentioned anything other than basic things about Pembroke Castle- the thought Sirius lived in an actual castle was still something she had trouble wrapping her head around! - Viktor leaned in then as well. "Ve do not usually have balls, or such things. Our Ministry is very traditional and does not approve of such things. It is a shame, I think. This ball is very nice. At Durmstrang, the school focuses more on outdoor things than the finer things. I too think that should change."

"Do the other students share your view?" Hermione asked genuinely interested, Viktor had rarely mentioned Durmstrang during the few times they'd talked. He preferred to ask her about herself.

"I think so yes. But Karkaroff does not see the point in changing anything. To him, school is not for enjoyment, it is for teaching students how to repeat and parrot back the things he wants them to know. He is a buffoon." Viktor said.

"You do not like him then?" Hermione asked.

Krum snorted. "No, he should be in prison. He was a Death Eater you know, and he only got out because he was a rat. He tries to act friendly around me because of who I am, my father is an important person in the Bulgarian government, and that is it. He cares nothing for anyone."

Hermione nodded her understanding, and then Viktor stood up. "I'm going to get a drink; do you want one?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes please."

Harry shook his head. "I'm good thanks."

They watched Viktor walk away and then once he was gone, Hermione turned to Harry and asked him. "Are Ron and Lavender still dancing?"

Harry didn't answer he just nodded in the direction of the dance floor, where the band had started playing. There in the middle, Ron and Lavender were locked together, staring into one another's eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen Ron that engrossed in anyone before." Harry said.

"Yeah." Hermione agreed. "It's odd, don't you think? Who would have thought that Ron Weasley would be going out with someone, anyone, and would be paying attention to them?" She knew Ron was quite traditional in some of his views, but this, this was a new side to him, and it was one she approved of.

Harry laughed. "I think Ron was always like this. He just needed someone who would help him see through his other issues. Lavender does that for him."

Hermione was surprised to hear such insightful commentary from Harry, he wasn't one prone to such things. She looked at him and asked. "What makes you say that?"

As if remembering what he'd just said, Harry blushed pink, he looked quite cute like that, but he eventually spoke. "I dunno. I just think that Ron needed someone who was willing to listen to him and help him handle his issues to help him grow. He's a good guy, he just has off days sometimes. I think Lavender gets that, and she gets him. They're good for each other."

"That's very true." Hermione acknowledged, she then shifted her hands about in her dress, wondering where Viktor was, and then asked. "What about you? Is there anyone there for you?" She didn't know why she suddenly felt as if Harry's answer would make or break the night for her, but suddenly it did, and that was what surprised her the most.

Harry doesn't look at her, instead he kept his eyes on the dance floor. "I don't really know. You know at one point, I thought maybe Cho, but I don't really know her you know. She doesn't know me either, and she and Cedric seem happy together." There was more to Cho and Cedric, she knew that, but she wouldn't interrupt Harry. She was enraptured by this, and she didn't know why. "Then I dunno, I haven't really thought about it. But I'd like it if there were someone you know."

Hermione did know, but she pushed that thought down. Before she could reply, Viktor returned with their drinks. "Here you go." He said handing her a butterbeer and then doing the same for Harry. He sat down on her right, allowing her to remain seated next to Harry, was that a sign? She didn't know, and god why was she thinking of this now?

"Thanks." Harry said, taking his butterbeer and pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. "Say, Viktor, I've been meaning to ask this. What is Durmstrang actually like? Is it like the ship you're on now, or is different, a more solid abode?"

Hermione was surprised, but she listened intently when Viktor replied. "Durmstrang is not kept in one fixed place for too long. Due to the War of Russia in the fifteenth century, it was agreed that every eight years the school would move from Russia, Bulgaria and other such countries, to ensure proper co-operation between our governments and our people. It is currently in Durmstrang and has been there since I joined the school. It is a nice place, despite its dark reputation. Though I think there are some elements where it could be improved."

"Oh? And what might those be?" Hermione found herself asking.

"I think we should have dancing lessons, and that we should have the ability to mix with other students from different schools. Before this tournament I was not allowed anywhere unless I was playing Quidditch, it makes it very hard to know anything of the world." Viktor answered honestly.

"So, you are enjoying your time here?" Harry asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Oh yes. Vost definitely. This place is so different to Bulgaria, there is more colour, and life here. I think when my time comes to change Quidditch teams I will." Viktor answered enthusiastically.

At that the conversation turned to Quidditch and Hermione allowed her attention to drift, she focused on something that had been nagging her for a time. They'd learned about Ignotous Potter from Ron and his brothers, but they'd not learned anything about Arthur Potter. And everything she'd read up about the two suggested there was much more to them, but what that was she did not know, and it was beginning to annoy her. Hermione could tell they were important, and she wanted to give Harry the complete picture, but she could not do that if she herself did not know what the complete picture it was very frustrating.

Suddenly Lavender was sat next to her. "How are you?" Hermione asked.

"Good, Ron's just gone to check up on Ginny, it seems she was not feeling too well." Lavender replied.

"Ah, that's a shame." Hermione said. "How are you finding the dance?"

"I'm loving it, it's so much fun, isn't it?" Lavender gushed.

"Yeah, I'm really enjoying it." Hermione agreed.

A comfortable silence fell between them then as Harry and Viktor continued to talk about quidditch. Hermione found her thoughts wandering again, this time to something her mother had said to her once about overeager minds finding things that they might not be ready to learn. Perhaps that was what was happening here. Perhaps there were things she shouldn't know until she was properly prepared to handle them. Perhaps, she was not sure though. A loud bang pulled her from her thoughts, there was another loud bang and the musicians stopped playing. Ron came staggering in, drenched in blood. "Quick, someone help. Someone's gotten Padma." Ron fell to the floor then, and all hell broke loose.


	19. Bang, Bang

There was a loud bang, and then the doors opened, Albus got up and hurried over to the entrance. Ronald Weasley was covered in blood, his face was very pale. The boy looked at him and said. "Somebody has to help. Quickly, please, you've got to help. Someone's got Padma." The boy looked at him and then fell to the ground. There was a brief silence and then the hall erupted into chaos, as students screamed and cried. Albus pulled out his wand and pressed it to his throat. "Enough!" The hall fell silent as the students all turned to look at him. "Prefects, take the lower years back to your dorms, the heads of houses shall be along shortly." He watched as the prefects and the head boy and girl started marshalling the students into single file and by house and out of the hall back toward their common rooms. Igor and Olympe did the same of their students. Albus looked at Alastor, and the man nodded, he began trailing after Igor slowly and discreetly. Once the students were gone, Albus turned to the teachers. "Minerva, Severus, Filius, Pomona and Poppy with me, the rest of you, patrol the school, make sure no student is out of their tower. And make sure nobody else is wandering around here." The teachers nodded, and Albus walked toward the exit before stopping. He pointed his wand at Ronald and said. "Auxillo." The blood and gushes from Ronald's face disappeared and the boy woke up. "Ronald, I will need you to come with us please." Ronald nodded and walked by his side as they made their way to the girl's bathroom. They got to the entrance, and Albus looked at Ronald.

The boy knocked on the door and said. "Ginny, it's me, I've got the Headmaster here with me." The door flew open and both girls rushed into Ronald's arms, Albus stepped passed them followed by the other teachers, and what he saw brought back painful memories. Parvati Patil was kneeling next to her sister and trying desperately to get the blood to stop, just like he'd done with Ariana. Minerva moved to the girl and slowly managed to pry her away. Poppy moved quickly to examine the girl lying on the floor, Albus remained stationary for a moment and then he blinked.

"What happened here?" He asked softly.

It was Ginny Weasley who spoke, Parvati looked too stunned to speak, too shocked. "We'd come out of the hall to freshen up and use the bathroom, Padma wasn't feeling too well so I said to Parvati I'd help look after her. Padma started throwing up, and then there was this loud crash, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground, my head hurt. Parvati was screaming and Padma was bleeding everywhere." Ronald pulled his sister closer to him then.

Albus nodded. "Was there anyone else who was in this bathroom, when you arrived, or whilst you were here?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, we were the only people outside."

Albus turned to Ronald. "And why were you here Ronald?"

Ronald looked as if he'd seen a ghost, but he spoke. "I was getting a drink for myself and for Lavender Brown, and then I thought I saw someone I knew slip out of the hall, with this strange package in their hands. I thought it was weird you know, because I'd just seen her sitting next to Harry. And I thought you know, she'd come over and talk to me first, because we'd said we'd do that before we left the ball tonight." The boy blushed slightly.

"Who did you think you had seen?" Albus asked.

"Hermione, Headmaster." Ron said. "We agreed we'd check in with one another before we left, because well, after the bomb in the girl's dorm, and Harry being in the tournament, we thought it would be best to make sure we knew where we all were at all times."

Albus nodded, a smart move. "So, what did you do when you saw who you thought was Hermione Granger?"

"I put the butterbeers down on the table and walked out after her. She was walking quickly, which isn't unusual for Hermione you know, but then she turned sharply into the girl's bathroom, and she was in there for less than a minute I think, and she walked out. She didn't even stop to say hello to me or anything. And I swear she just disappeared right there and then." Ronald stated.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked her brother.

"I mean one moment she was right there in front of me, and I was going to talk to her, ask her what she was doing. The next she had gone, I blinked and she was gone." Ronald said, his voice shaken.

Albus looked at Severus and shuddered. "Very well, thank you Mister Weasley." He turned to Poppy. "Poppy how is it looking?"

"She's got some serious bruising and will have a few scars. I want to take her to the infirmary tonight." Poppy replied.

"Then do so." Albus commanded, he conjured a stretcher, lifted Padma Patil's body onto it and then told it to follow Poppy as she walked back to the Infirmary, Parvati accompanying her. Albus turned to the Weasley siblings. "Tomorrow, I want you to go to the infirmary and get checked out by Madame Pomfrey. For tonight however, I want you to head back to the common room and stay there." Both nodded, and Minerva accompanied them back to the common room. Once they were gone, Albus turned to the others and said. "It is clear what has happened here. Someone has infiltrated the school and is now trying to cause as much havoc as possible."

"But why? First the Gryffindor girl's dorm and now this? Why would someone go to all this trouble to do this? And every time they've targeted the Patils. You don't think this could be some sort of race crime, do you?" Pomona asked.

Albus sighed. That was not something he'd wanted to consider. It had been so many years since the first immigrants from abroad had arrived in Britain, so long since the days of Thaddeus Morgan and his crimes. He had thought that perhaps things had changed, perhaps attitudes had changed. He was not sure anymore. He had lived for a very long time, too long perhaps. He closed his eyes, pushing away the memory of Ariana that threatened to rise up and cause him pain. He took a deep breath and then said. "We cannot rule it out. Filius, I want guards around Ravenclaw, Minerva is already doing the same around Gryffindor. But ensure nobody can or can't leave without your permission and that of the ghosts." He saw Filius nod, and then he took another deep breath. He was going to need to get this through properly. "And make sure that all of Crouch's old hiding spots are looked into."

Filius looked surprised but did not say anything, he merely nodded, Albus nodded in thanks and then walked out of the girl's bathroom. As he did so, he heard the angry shouts of a house elf. "Winky must be getting up now. This is no time for sleeping, get up!" As they turned the corner, they found themselves face to face with Dobby and Winky, two house elves from the kitchens.

Albus raised a hand to stop the others from speaking and then asked. "Dobby, what is going on here?"

The house elf raised his big eyes to look at Albus and all of them and then he hastily bowed and said. "Apologies Master Dumbles, but Dobby is trying to wake Winky. She is being a bad house elf and not moving. We was supposed to be preparing food for the ball, but Winky went missing and so Dobby is going to find her, and then Dobby is finding her here. It is like she is drunk again."

Albus nodded. "Dobby move back please." He waved his wand over Winky and sighed. "She has been stunned cold, Dobby, did you see anyone else here with Winky?"

"No master Dumbles. Only Winky." Dobby said.

Albus sighed. "Dobby, I want you to head back to the kitchens, tell the other elves to be careful. The ball has been called off for now. Take Winky with you." The elf nodded and disappeared with a pop. He looked at the other heads of houses and said. "To my office." They walked in silence and then were joined by Minerva, they entered his office, and sat down in the chairs provided. He took a breath and then said. "I believe there is a rat amongst us."

"Who?" Pomona asked.

"I am not sure. I have run every detection and concealment spell I can think of, and nothing has turned up. None of the wards have alerted me to anything, and yet in the past two weeks we have had more danger in this school, than since the days of the wizarding war. The only explanation I can give is that someone amongst the staff is doing a very good job at avoiding detection, because we are not looking for them there." Albus said.

"You think that the focus on the students is why they're getting away with this?" Minerva asked horrified.

Albus sighed, he felt very old all of a sudden. "Yes, I do. I think they are using the mirage of student bodies to create chaos and havoc within the school. And there is only one person who that would benefit."

"But he is supposed to be dead! Harry removed him!" Pomona said.

Albus sighed, now was not the time to reveal the true extent of what he suspected about Tom, but he had to say something, he would not allow any more students to be harmed. "Tom did not die that night; he has gone to great lengths to ensure that he could not die. The diary he used two years ago, was what is known as a horcrux, it was one of two I believe he has made. I believe, he is out there somewhere, trying to return. I believe he entered Harry into the tournament, and I believe he is doing everything he can to undermine us."

"Are you certain?" Pomona asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Severus." Albus asked.

Severus rolled down his sleeve, showing off the skull and snake of the dark mark. "The mark has been getting stronger throughout the year. Ever since Pettigrew fled Hogwarts. Karkaroff has been feeling it as well. He's getting scared."

"So, do you think it was Karkaroff?" Filius asked.

"No," Albus replied shaking his head. "I believe that it was someone else. Somebody we would never expect. Alastor has been acting very strangely the past couple of days. He has said things that he would never normally, say, he has been quiet whereas before he would have been loud. I believe that Alastor has fallen for something or is under some spell. And as such, we must work to figure out what."

"Surely you cannot be suggesting that Alastor Moody, the man who put Arcturus Selwyn on his arse, is now working for You Know Who!" Pomona exclaimed.

"The House Elf you saw lying unconscious on the floor today, belonged to Barty Crouch Senior. She was dismissed after being found with Harry Potter's wand at the World Cup. I gave her a place here so that she would be safe from Barty and his wrath, we all know what he is. She revealed to me, that Barty had had a meeting with one William Bagnold and a strange hooded figure once during the summer. Barty was threatened, and something was exchanged. I believe that whatever it was that was exchanged, was whatever Barty had gathered as insurance against Alastor." Albus said simply.

"So, what do you want us to do?" Minerva asked.

"Keep an eye on Alastor, and report anything suspicious. And most importantly, do not let something like this happen ever again." Albus replied.


	20. Dancing Shadows

Thaddeus Nott despised housing someone such as the Marquess of Salisbury in his home. He despised the fact that the man was his godfather, but things needed to be discussed, and so he agreed to the man's presence in his home. Thaddeus was not a young man anymore, the Marquess was even older. They were both grey, and their grey was turning to the palest of silvers. Thaddeus suspected that Selwyn was doing as Riddle had once done and changed himself into something not human. Truth be told Thaddeus did not want to know, what Riddle's lover did was nothing of his concern. He looked at the man and then said. "You have come here, to speak about politics. I suggest we get to talking."

The Marquess of Salisbury raised an eyebrow. "My, my. You're not one for being so brusque usually, godson. Tell me what it is that has you so riled up? Is it the fact that I have come to visit you, and speak? Is it the fact that your son and Potter are supposedly becoming friends? Or is it the fact that your own godson has been seen with Black?"

Thaddeus knew that Salisbury was trying to bait him, he remained silent, allowed the anger currently coursing through his veins to smoulder and then disappear, before he spoke. "My apologies, I was merely stating a fact. We have met to talk, perhaps we should do so?"

"Indeed, you are right." Salisbury said. "Black's release has changed much within the scope of the Wizengamot and outside it. Already Wolfsbane tariffs have been reduced, and security on the castle has been increased. Black is pursuing similar policies to his grandfather, and as such that poses a threat to our plans."

"In what sense?" Thaddeus asked. "Yes Black has reduced the tariffs, but that is just common sense. We cannot allow werewolves to be running around out of their minds during the full moon. The last time someone tried to raise a werewolf army, they nearly brought Lycus here." That memory caused Thaddeus to shiver in fear.

Salisbury merely chuckled. "Ah Thaddeus, still remembering a nightmare, are we?" Thaddeus didn't even respond to that for Salisbury had moved on. "The werewolves are required to be wild and ferocious otherwise they can be mined for information by those who would use them against us. The rates were set at the rate they were, so that the werewolves would have to come to us, or be scared out of their minds. We had them in the palms of our hand, and now they are in Black's. Already Fenrir has stated that some twenty of the werewolves he was courting have turned against him."

Personally, Thaddeus thought that was a good thing. Fenrir Greyback was mad, and was not to be trusted, he had never understood why Riddle had trusted him with such important tasks during the war. "So, is that why you have come here? For me to speak with Black and convince him to vote for a repealing of the bill?" He did not think his cousin would approve of that, after all, he had done much to rebuild a relationship with Sirius Black, in honour of the man's grandfather, and Thaddeus' cousin, but this, this was something he would not do.

"No, the bill is not important now. Not with what Fenrir has planned. Black proposed the bill so that he could have his steward lucid at all times. But if his steward never gets access to the Wolfsbane he will be forced to let him go. How this happens, I will not tell you. Needless to say, it will be simply delightful."

Thaddeus had an inkling as to who the culprit behind that would be, and he thought to himself that Remus Lupin would be more than a match for whoever the fool was that Fenrir sent. "So, what was it you wished to talk to me about?"

"Ever impatient, Thaddeus," Salisbury tutted. "But yes, the next session of the Wizengamot starts in a week's time, there are four bills I intend to introduce. One of them is a bill, I want your support on. It is the Registry Of All Deeds older than three hundred years old."

"Why? I thought that would be something you would resist, considering all of your property is at least two thousand years old." Thaddeus pointed out, his own properties based around the country were some one thousand two hundred years old.

"Because there is something that Black or Dumbledore are hiding, and this bill will ensure that they have to put it forward and declare it." Salisbury said.

"Yes, but if they must do that, then so will everyone else. And you know what the Wizengamot is like, they have all kinds of things to hide." Thaddeus pointed out.

Salisbury waved his hand impatiently. "I've already got the worded amendments written and placed down for the second version of the bill. This time it will be specific to whatever it is Black and Dumbledore are hiding."

Thaddeus stared at the man and asked. "Why are you so insistent on finding out what it is they are hiding?"

"Because, whatever it is, it is illegal. We both know Black, he got done when he was fifteen for harbouring a dragon maker, and Dumbledore? That man has more illegally stored things within his school than anyone else alive. We must find out what it is they are hiding and we must confiscate it, for the safety of the community." Salisbury said.

Thaddeus thought that it was more likely Salisbury wanted it for Riddle, but kept his mouth shut. He took a breath then spoke. "Say I agree to lend you support, what stops Black and his allies from turning the bill onto us. If you have amendments already, you can be sure that they will also have amendments prepared the moment that this thing is tabled. And Fudge will go with them." The Minister's allegiance to Black was quite annoying, and amusing.

"You think a man like Sirius Black would dare do something such as tabling amendments? The boy has skill yes, but he is much like his grandfather in that if he thinks doing something gives off another impression, he will not do it. He will stick to his gut and allow the bill to go through, if anyone proposes an amendment for Black it will be Malfoy. The snake has slithered off to a new master." Salisbury said, disgust evident in his voice.

"And thus we come to the real reason you are here." Thaddeus surmised.

Salisbury smiled the smile that had given Thaddeus nightmares as a young man. "You are correct." There was a pause as Salisbury shifted and got himself into a better position on the chair. Then once he'd done that, he spoke. "Tell me Thaddeus, has Lucius lost his mind?"

Thaddeus resisted the urge to laugh. "I believe he is doing simply what Lucius does, what all Malfoys have done. He is looking out for himself and his family. Black is his liege lord; it would be madness for him to go against him so openly. He was the one who informed us of the vote for Wolfsbane, he was the one who told us Black had been pressurising for greater security. He is still playing the role the Dark Lord gave him."

Salisbury did not look convinced. "Lucius has changed. There is something different in his manner. It is almost as if I am looking at his father, during the time Arcturus was alive. There is an arrogance there."

"And you do not like that?" Thaddeus asked, finding himself rolling his eyes a little internally. "Come now my lord, Lucius is doing his bit, just as we are doing ours. If he is making sure Black actually considers keeping him alive, well all the more benefit for us."

"He should be less obvious about it. His arrogance will and has perhaps given the game away. Already there is talk that Lucius is going to make a bid for our place in the sun." Salisbury said, a hint of fear creeping into his tone.

"And do you truly believe that the Dark Lord will actually do that? Allow someone such as Lucius Malfoy, a mere viscount to gain a prime place at his side?" Thaddeus did not even have to hide the disgust in his tone then.

Salisbury raised and lowered his shoulder. "The Dark Lord has grown difficult during these past few months. It seems he hungers for something new and exciting. And as such nothing is guaranteed as it once was."

 _Here we go._ Thaddeus thought giddily, he kept his face an expressionless mask, he had not forgotten that his godfather was a master legilimens. He spoke then. "Do you think then that the Dark Lord wants things to happen quicker than they did last time? Do you think he has forgotten how our society works? He has been gone for some time, but not enough time to forget the process. It took a long time to convince that fool at the Ministry to look the other way." Even then he'd had to inform his old friend's grandson about it, something had felt off.

"I appreciated that, Thaddeus." Salisbury said, his voice calm. "Yet the Dark Lord grows impatient. He has been away for a long time and does not wish to wait for another moment. Already he must wait for the summer solstice, he needs action and we must do it soon. Lucius cannot be allowed to tamper with things anymore."

Thaddeus nodded. "I shall speak with him." Salisbury stood up and so did Thaddeus, they walked to the door, shook hands and then nodded to one another. Thaddeus watched as Salisbury apparated out of the castle to his own fortress, once the man was gone, Thaddeus walked back to his desk, and took out a piece of parchment and began writing.

 _Dear L,_

 _The writing is on the wall for our little plan. I believe Mordred grows more curious with the passing of the hours. We must act and act fast. I do not believe the façade I have built can survive. I trust that you know what must be done._

 _I hope all is well with you._

 _Your loving friend_

 _G._

He folded the piece of paper up, and placed it inside an envelope and summoned his owl, attached it to her leg, and then opened the window and watched her fly away. The letter would get a response within the day, of that he was sure of, L was always prompt to respond. He stared out at the scenery around him, he wondered how much of it would change should Riddle return from his isolation, if things would be okay for him and Theodore. The boy was his life, perhaps he was not as affectionate as Nora had been, but well the boy was his son and he was smart, and he loved him, more than anything else. He would kill Riddle himself if need be, the fool had left clues for them all to find, if they just looked hard enough. And during the war Thaddeus had looked, by god had he looked. And now he had the cards.

He smiled at that thought and moved from the window back to his desk, where he began sorting through the letters on his table. Letters from banner men asking for help settling disputes, Rookwood was straying again, the fool would be killed the next time Thaddeus saw him, Umbridge was asking questions again, he would need to die. On and on that went, he had lunch, and he had dinner, and just as he was about to turn in for the night, his owl returned with a response.

 _Dear G,_

 _I am working on it as we speak. Keep your eyes and ears open._

 _Love_

 _L._

Thaddeus smiled, time was ticking for Riddle and for Selwyn, the department would be closed very soon.


	21. Machinations

Doune Castle was situated on the West Coast of Scotland, and it was the chief seat alongside Alnwick Castle that the Potters used to conduct business as Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland. As Harry's regent, it was Sirius' duty to ensure that the affairs of the Scottish estate were in order, and so here he was. The sun was shining, the ledgers showed that the land was making a serious profit, and so things were good. Yet Sirius knew that politically, they were still vulnerable, the Wolfsbane bill had passed without a hitch, and if Sirius was right in judging the mood of the Wizengamot, the first challenge that he would face would be coming up very soon. That was why he and Remus were sat in the Lord's solar, looking over the ledgers and the accounts of every Wizengamot session his grandfather and father had ever sat in.

"There's something here about Sebastien Blaise asking for your grandfather to support him in his proposal to reduce the number of wand surveillances that were out there around nineteen twenty-nine. It says here that your grandfather agreed on the condition that Blaise relinquish control over the Committee of Extra Beings. Blaise agreed." Remus said.

"Wand Surveillance, wasn't that the bill that meant that all the records the ministry had kept on who owned what want had to be destroyed?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I think it was very popular at the time and still is to this day." Remus replied.

Sirius nodded, that was not relevant then, to what he thought he would be forced to agree to. "Here's something that Evan Rosier asked my grandfather to support during the forties. It seems that Rosier wanted special protection for wizards of his and the other German lines, in case of retaliation from muggles. Arcturus demanded support in return for the Habeas Corpus Bill. Rosier refused, and so Arcturus handed him over to the ministry." Sirius shuddered at that, his grandfather had been ruthless, when he'd needed to be.

"Yes, that would be possible encouragement. Though Rosier is in prison, and his brother is nowhere concerned about the German connection. Now Zabini on the other hand might do. If we could find anything solid that suggested that Voldemort had been residing in Albania." Remus said.

Sirius nodded and threw the piece of paper into the scrap heap. He picked up another piece of paper. "This one is from the sixties. It's got The Marquess of Salisbury threatening to expose my great uncle Regulus Black for being gay, my grandfather replied by revealing that Salisbury's own son was in fact converting himself to a her. That shut Salisbury up and got him to support the Pain ban bill."

"Salisbury is mentioned here again, this time offering support for Arcturus' bill on Muggle control, in return for support on his bill for control of werewolves." Remus said a bitter note in his voice. "It seems Arcturus went for it."

Sirius snorted. "Salisbury is here again, this time threatening more things, that my grandfather's steward is not very clear about. It seems my grandfather acquiesced this time."

"And here as well, September, nineteen seventy-five. During the time Voldemort was causing havoc on the south-west." Remus said.

"So, I suppose we can confirm that Salisbury will be coming towards me for something in return for his continued support of the Wolfsbane bill." Sirius said.

"Yes, and it is likely to be support for something you find quite heinous, if looking through his record is anything." Remus said, a hint of disgust in his voice.

Sirius sighed. "Indeed, I am not sure how my grandfather could stand the man. I've spoken with Salisbury, he's got the odour of a rotting troll, and the manners of one. I think he's forgotten that he no longer runs the Ministry anymore. You know, I think he still thinks him and Voldemort are on the rise once more."

Remus raised an eyebrow at him and asked. "What has Lucius been saying?"

"It's what he's not been saying that bothers me. There are going to be attacks in several muggle locations in the north west within the next three days, but we do not know where, and Lucius has been unable to find out. The attacks are targeting historic sites where muggles and wizards used to mix and mingle before. I think Salisbury is right behind them, Lucius has been able to all but confirm that. And yet there is nothing more. It's gone silent." Sirius said in frustration.

"It would certainly add up with the attacks at the school. We know Voldemort and Salisbury hated the influx of wizards from India during the era of the Raj. They seemed to think it went against their ideal of the pureblood agenda, even if the wizards from the Raj were far more pureblood orientated than the wizards of the time were. The only question is how did those attacks happen, and how did they get a piece of Hermione's hair to use?" Remus asked.

"Whoever did the deed has got to be mingling as a student, that is the only explanation I can think of." Sirius said, he held up a hand as Remus went to protest. "Yes, I know Albus thinks that it was a teacher, but how would a teacher get access to hair from a student, unless the teacher was doing something odd?"

"That is true, which to me suggests that someone on the inside has either bribed a student into working for them, or they have placed the student on the imperius curse. And neither would show up on the ward detections mainly because the student would have to act normal in one sense to avoid raising suspicion. And in another because most students don't really pay attention. But the question is what girl in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would be most susceptible?" Remus mused.

"I do not know; I mean it's not as if Harry's mentioned anything in his letters. I get the impression he's not like James in that sense, and more like Lily. He doesn't hang out with anyone other than the people in Gryffindor." Sirius said.

"I suppose that's good in one way, as it prevents him being exposed to too much baggage before he comes to stay in the summer. On the other hand, he's lessening his chances of finding other friends." Remus said, voicing Sirius' concerns.

"Exactly." Sirius said. "Still I suppose it's not really our place to say until he tells us at Easter." He sighed, and then picked up another piece of parchment. "I do wonder how these things keep happening. First it was the Philosopher's Stone, and then the Chamber of Secrets. It's almost as if Dumbledore is trying to test Harry, in preparation for facing Voldemort." He took a deep breath and then said. "On the one hand that terrifies the shit out of me, I don't want Harry facing that shit, on the other hand, I think Harry could take the creep." He ran a hand through his hair and then asked. "Does that make me a bad parent?"

Remus barked out a laugh then. "Sirius, you've barely spent any time with Harry, I'd give it some time before assessing him and making a judgement on your own capabilities."

Sirius nodded. "You're right." He paused and then asked. "So, you know we never did finish that conversation we were having at Pembroke. What did you do during the war? One moment you were there and then the next you weren't." Sirius had often wondered that, wondered if he'd missed something, some sign, his mistrust of his old friend rankled him still to this day, and he felt guilty for ever mistrusting Remus.

He thought Remus would sigh and change the topic, but instead, his friend said. "I went undercover with the packs in England and Scotland and Wales, and Ireland. I also went to France. I lost myself for a time."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, he'd never heard Remus describe his transformations like that, apart from when they'd been in third year.

"I mean that for a time I lost track of who I was, where I was, what I was doing and why. I ran with the pack, and I became more wolf than human. It was something I'd been terrified of. I'd become lovers with a woman, her name was Sian, and she was full of fire and energy, she wanted to stage a coup against Fenrir, but the pack alpha didn't want to go with it. She got into a fight with Fenrir and his lackeys, and to protect the mission, I…I…had to kill her." Remus said, his voice breaking on that last part.

Sirius placed a hand on his friend's arm. "I'm sorry Moony."

Remus sighed. "It was a long time ago. But after I did that, I was trusted, I was brought into the inner circle. I learned things, about how Fenrir and the others were doing their bidding for Voldemort, who they decided to target who they decided to ignore. It was brutal. At one point, they ganged up on a girl no older than Harry is now, and I…I…watched." Remus closed his eyes. "I had to watch and make sure it was done right."

"Moony…" Sirius began, his heart breaking for his friend.

"I…I should have done more to stop it. But I didn't. I was scared. Scared that I would be thrown out, that the mission would be nothing. I watched as my kind did all kinds of monstrous things to one another, to innocent women and children. I watched as my kind ravaged people and tore apart their lives. All that they could have some sort of freedom that Voldemort had promised them. Freedom that would never be." Remus said. His voice was cracking under the emotion. "I, do not know whether I am worthy of being called a wizard. I did not protect wizards. I killed them, during that time."

"Moony," Sirius said then firmly. His friend looked at him, his eyes red rimmed. "Look, what you did then, what you saw then, it was bad yes. Of course, it was. I won't deny that. But that is not you now. You do not have to go out and do those things if you do not want to. You do not have do anything you do not want. And there will be things Albus will ask which you cannot do, as you are mine and Harry's steward."

Remus nodded. "You're right. Sorry, I was being foolish."

"Nonsense." Sirius said, he got up and pulled his friend into a huge. When they broke apart he said. "We've all done things that we regret, it was war, of course we did. But we're alive now, and we've got Harry to think about, and we have one another. That's what counts." Sirius said.

Remus nodded. "Naturally." There was a brief pause, and then Remus spoke once more. "You know, I am surprised that Albus hasn't yet asked me to find out what the werewolves are doing. It's almost as if he is waiting for Voldemort to return."

Sirius moved back to his chair and slumped down in it. "I think he is you know. He mentioned that there was a way Voldemort was kept alive, but he didn't mention specifically what the thing was. We need to do our own research. I will not have Voldemort hammering away at Harry's defences and traumatising him simply so that Dumbledore can have his little plans work accordingly."

"What will you do?" Remus asked.

"What we shall do is, we shall research all we can about Voldemort, find out where he is from, who he was before and during and after school, and work from there. The more we know, the better prepared we can be." Sirius said. His friend nodded, and Sirius felt some of the tension leave him, they were in Scotland now, closer to Harry, and closer to finding out something about Voldemort. It would be alright; he was sure of it.


	22. Talk

"So, how are you feeling about things?" Sirius asked.

Harry was still finding it difficult to believe that his godfather, his father was here, sat next to him, talking to him. He had never really stopped to think that Sirius might actually do that. "I'm good I think."

"You think?" Sirius asked.

"I mean I'm a little concerned about the second task, I think I know what I'll need to get from the lake, but I don't really know how to get the Gillyweed." Harry said. "I mean after all, it's not like Snape is just going to give it to me." He'd toyed with asking Dobby to get it for him, but he wouldn't want the elf to be caught, and get into trouble. After the thing with Winky, well, it was better that way.

Sirius smiled at that. "Well, I might know someone who can get you Gillyweed free of charge, and get it to you by next week."

"Who?" Harry asked intrigued.

Sirius winked. "Leave that to me."

Harry smiled. "Thanks." They fell silent for a little while, and then Harry asked. "Did you come to the school because you wanted to see me?" He hated how insecure he sounded, but he was dying to know.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to see how you were doing, Harry. And I wanted a chance to get to talk to you. I mean between the first time we met, and my being released from prison, we haven't exactly had that many chances to talk."

"Haha, yeah you could say that." Harry said running a hand through his hair. He noticed Sirius looking at him funnily and asked. "What?"

"It's nothing, just that your dad used to do that." Sirius replied.

"He did?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yeah, he was always going for the windswept look, said it made him look cool." Sirius said. "I thought it made him look like a prat." Sirius grinned and Harry laughed.

"What did you guys get up to during your fourth year?" he asked.

"We just messed around really, learned a few things, discovered girls. There was no Triwizard tournament when we were in our fourth year. But we did put on a good show in the quidditch cup. Your dad was pretty good, weaving in and out of the Slytherins, and making Ravenclaw look like a joke." Sirius said.

Harry smiled. "He sounds like he was a natural."

Sirius moved his arm to put it around Harry, but he paused to ask for Harry's permission first, Harry was so surprised, it took him a minute to figure out what it was his godfather, was asking him, but when he did figure it out he nodded. The reassuring feel of Sirius' arm around his shoulders was something Harry was surprised by. He'd never felt that before. His musings were interrupted when Sirius said. "You're a natural as well you know. I remember watching you during your third year, against Ravenclaw, you whizzed around their seeker and made him look completely ordinary."

Harry flushed with pride. "Thanks. Cho's not that bad of a seeker, she just needs to spend more time looking for the thing, instead of looking at, well, me." He flushed scarlet then.

Sirius leaned in and teased. "Has someone got a crush?"

"On Cho?" Harry replied sounding surprised. "No…I don't even know her well enough. I don't think that's enough to have a crush on someone, is it?"

Sirius laughed. "That didn't stop your dad, during our first year, within about two minutes he had a crush on your mum. Took him around three years to figure out how to talk to her properly."

Harry felt his mouth drop. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. James was a natural at anything he put his mind to, yet somehow your mum would turn up and he'd drop into a retarded wreck. It was quite funny really." Sirius laughed.

Harry laughed along and then asked. "How did he, you know get over that?"

Sirius shrugged, and Harry felt his heart drop. How was he? He didn't know where that line of thought was going. "To be honest, I'm not sure. One day he was a retarded old wreck, the next day he was perfectly fine. I think that was in our fifth year though." A strange look came over Sirius's face then, but it disappeared almost instantly. "Anyway, enough reminiscing. Honestly, Harry, how are you feeling about everything?"

Harry hesitated. He wanted to lie and say everything was fine, that he was fine, that he wasn't waking up every third night in a cold sweat, his heart pounding, the whisperings of parsletongue in his ears. But that would be a lie, and he didn't want to lie to Sirius. He didn't want Sirius to be disappointed in him. He took a deep breath and said. "I'm scared Sirius. I'm really scared." His godfather didn't say anything, merely waited for Harry to continue. "I'm terrified that something's going to go wrong during one of the tasks. I'm terrified that something's going to happen to the people I care about here at school, because Voldemort seems damned intent on hurting me. I'm terrified of what happens if I do eventually face him. I'm scared that you know my school work's suffering because I'm so terrified of everything else. And I don't want to tell Ron or Hermione that, because I'm scared they'll leave." When he finished he was surprised to find his cheeks wet.

Sirius pulled him into a one-armed embrace, so that his face was resting on his godfather's shoulder. "Harry," his godfather began. "It's alright to be scared. To be terrified. You've been given a tremendous responsibility, that should never have been yours. You've done things that no witch or wizard alive today could've ever done during your age and your ability." It seemed as though his godfather wanted to say more about that, but the sharp inhalation of breath suggested otherwise. "If you ever, ever want to talk to someone about whatever your feeling, or thinking, write Harry, write to me. I know that I wasn't there before, but I am now. And I want to help."

Harry wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, and he didn't really want his godfather to see him cry again, so he hugged Sirius tighter. They stayed like that for a very long time, until Harry felt comfortable enough to pull back. When he did he gave his godfather a watery smile and said. "Thanks Padfoot, it really means a lot."

His godfather beamed. "Not at all."

They sat and talked for some more time before eventually, and reluctantly they parted ways. Sirius for the headmaster's office and Harry for the dormitory. When he got back to the dorm, he nodded to Ron and Neville and got changed, perhaps it would be as Sirius said and things would be fine. But for some reason, he couldn't fight the feeling they wouldn't. As if in confirmation his scar tinged.


	23. Swearing In

It was good to have Harry home for Easter, his godson-his son- had managed to adjust quite well, though Sirius could tell there were moments when it seemed a bit too much for him. Hell, there were moments when it felt a bit too much for him as well! Still, Harry seemed more comfortable now, a week into the holiday than he had done when he'd first come to Pembroke. He seemed more at ease with everything, with the size of the castle, the size of his room, and with being more open. His godson had told him things about the Dursleys that made Sirius' blood boil, what Albus had been thinking leaving Harry there, Sirius did not know. Still, at least Harry was comfortable telling him these things. He'd done remarkably well during the second task, getting his person he'd miss out of the water in double quick time, once he'd realised that he didn't need to save them all. And of course, that said person had been spending a bit of time with him over the holidays didn't hurt, Sirius thought amusedly.

Now though of course it was time for the serious business. The swearing in ritual, where Harry would be recognised as his heir and his son by magic. He cleared his throat, and his godson stopped talking to Ron and looked at him. They were all looking at him, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Lucius, Narcissa, Albus, Remus and Arthur and Molly. He nodded to them all in turn and then spoke. "Thank you all for coming. Today, Harry becomes a Black and he becomes my son, as recognised by magic. The ritual is simple, and Harry has been told what to do and what to expect numerous times. So, if it's okay with you Harry, I'd like to begin?" his godson nodded his head, and stood up. When he was stood in front of him, Sirius continued, drawing his wand. "I, Sirius Orion Black, Marquess of Pembroke, do hereby summon the Magic to recognise Harry James Potter, Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland as my heir as Earl of Glamorgan." He waved his wand and a bright blue light appeared, it hovered in the air and turned toward Harry.

His godson took a deep breath and then spoke. "I, Harry James Potter, Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland, accept this offer of magic as Earl of Glamorgan, and do hereby ask the magic to recognise me as the heir to the Marquess of Pembroke, in blood and deed."

The blue light hovered and then swept over them both, turning green and red, and then finally orange. It echoed around them. Sirius spoke the next words of the ritual. "Now we are bound by magic, let us make it official. With blood." He placed his wand in his pocket, and took out a small knife, he cut himself, and handed the knife to Harry who did the same. They placed their palms together and in unison said. "We are united, blood and deed, together as one, as father and son and son and father. From this day to the end of our days. We are family."

The magic swirled around them, turning from orange to purple and then pink, then to blue and then to red, and then to black then to silver. It stopped at gold. Two figures appeared then, James and Lily, Sirius' breath caught. "We, James Fleamont Potter, and Lilly Evans Potter, do hereby consent to this adoption and do approve of Sirius Orion Black, standing where we cannot stand." Sirius nodded at his old friends and they disappeared, the magic disappeared with them.

Sirius looked at his godson, now his son and smiled at him. He pulled him into a hug and whispered. "It's all good now. Are you okay?"

His godson nodded, and then pulled back, they stayed locked in an embrace though, Sirius with one arm thrown over his son's shoulders. Various people came to congratulate them then, Sirius let Harry talk, and only stepped in when necessary. When they were done, he spoke loudly and clearly. "Thank you all for coming. If we could all make our way over the great hall, dinner has been prepared." There was an audible nod of approval then causing Sirius to laugh. He had missed this, missed having Pembroke filled with the sound of laughter, of people talking. When he'd been younger the castle had always been full, his grandfather had held court, and people had flocked to him. And Sirius had never truly appreciated that until just now. It was truly something remarkable when he thought about it.

Once they were all seated in the great hall, Sirius raised his cup and said. "To Harry, my son, and to all of you, our friends and family."

"Cheers." Harry said as others repeated that statement, they clinked their cups together and drank.

The feast was filled with much merriment and joking, nothing serious was discussed, and the Malfoy boy seemed to be acting cordial, Sirius knew he would need to speak to his son and to Draco about their rivalry. He would not have their grudge messing the family up. Eventually, the feasting came to an end, Sirius nodded as the guests went to their rooms, gestured for Harry and the Malfoys to follow him and then when they were in his solar he looked at them and said. "Harry, Draco, I know you two do not like one another. I do not expect that to change overnight or at all, heavens know that there are people I never liked that I still do not. But we are family now, and I will not have your grudges destroying this family. There is a struggle coming and we must be united. I do not care if you ever turn out to be friends, but you are family, and you shall act cordial to one another."

There was a moment of silence and then Harry extended his hand. "Cousin." His son said.

Draco took Harry's hand and shook it. "Cousin." He said in response.

Sirius nodded his approval. "Good, now the hour is late, you may all retire to your chambers." Harry, Draco and Narcissa left, but Lucius remained.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him and the man hurriedly said. "The raid will happen in two days' time. Selwyn confirmed it."

Sirius nodded. "You have the necessary precautions in place?"

"Yes, of course. Crabbe and Goyle will fail, and my men in the Auror department shall be there waiting to strike." Lucius replied.

"Good." Sirius said, waving a hand dismissively, Lucius bowed and then turned and walked out of the solar. Once the man was gone, Sirius wrote a letter to Fudge and got up, and walked to the owlery where his favourite owl was there waiting. He attached the letter to her leg, and watched as she flew off into the night sky. Fudge would owe him one for this. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He'd need to do more research into the Wizarding War before he spoke to Harry about it all. It was time for his son to know his lineage and why it mattered.


	24. Great Pact

Hermione felt herself tingle with anticipation. It was quite strange really, ever since the second task and her and Harry's little moment coming out of the lake, things between them had been charged. It was almost as if something new had awoken between them. It was something she wanted to explore, but she was not sure if she should or not. After all she did not want to ruin anything she had with Harry, in terms of friendship, and besides he didn't seem all that interested anyway. Moony cleared his throat and the three of them-for Ron was with them as well- looked at him and listened as he began speaking. "Wizarding history is littered with conflicts. Ever since the King died during the Great Battle of ten sixty-six, the wizarding world has been in a constant state of flux. That is not to say that when there was a King the wizarding world was peaceful, but it was a damned sight better than it has been. What do you know of the great battle?"

Hermione stuck her hand up as did Ron. Moony smiled and said. "Hermione, why don't you tell us what you know and then Ron you can tell us what you know." They both nodded.

Hermione spoke first. "In ten sixty-six, the wizarding world was undergoing some form of change as it was wont to do over the years. King Harrold Godwinson was facing one of the greatest threats to his reign and to his people's way of life than anything he'd ever faced before. William the Bastard and the Normans were coming. The Battle was fought and it was a bloody one. Spells fought sword and God, and eventually Harrold was slain by a priest, who said the words of the Christian spell casters. Harrold's death broke his people and they fled."

"Wait, are you talking about the Battle of Hastings?" Harry asked then.

Moony nodded. "Yes, the muggles claim it was a battle fought between two cultures, and it was, just not in the way they remember it. The Saxons were magical people, who never quite abandoned the old ways. King Harrold was a very powerful wizard in himself, and he wanted to protect his people and their culture." Hermione saw Harry's eyes flit between them all, it was clear his mind was racing. "Now Ron, why don't you tell us what you know?"

It was clear from the glint in Ron's eyes that this was something he knew and knew well. "Well, Harrold and his family had been reigning as Kings of Britain since the ninth century when they incorporated the blood of Kenneth MacAlpin into their line. And as such they had access to all sorts of power. It is said that William the Bastard wanted access to this power, as he thought it would give him the chance to take over France. But then the Christian Pope got involved and told him to take over complete control of Britain. And so, he invaded with the backing of the Cross."

"So, are you saying that the Pope gave William the Conqueror his blessing to invade Britain so as to remove magic from the world?" Harry asked amazed.

Moony nodded. "Yes, in a sense. But William was a cunning man. He had his own wizards and witches in his army, and he used them to kill off the more powerful in Harrold's army. Eventually over time the two worlds disappeared from one another and then kept the barriers we now know, in place. It was the only way we could survive and not see our culture completely destroyed unlike the Anglo-Saxon muggles who were forced to bend to the knights of the Conqueror." Moony's last words are said bitterly. "The wizarding throne remained empty as Harrold's sons were killed or murdered in battle or in their beds, by William's men. The line of Scotia and Brutus died with Alexander the third of Scotland when he fell from his horse. His hopes and dreams of reuniting Britannia into her magical past died with him. Magic was forced into hiding."

"Until Arthur Potter and his son came about." Ron said then.

Hermione spun around to look at her friend. "What do they have to do with this?" she asked.

Harry looked completely confused. Moony sighed. "Everything. I know you've been reading up on them Hermione, but how much of what you've read in the books is actually true I do not know. No one knows too much about what actually happened during that time. But here is what I know." Moony took a deep breath and then spoke once more. "Following the great battle, the wizarding world threw its hopes and dreams behind Harrold's sons, they were killed or murdered, and then his descendants died at the hands of the English Normans one by one. Once the Normans stopped killing them, the wizarding families had to decide who was going to rule them, for they did not know how to live without a King guiding them. There were four families that had the best claims, Black, Gaunt, Peverell and Potter. Peverell was the oldest after the Kingly line and thus it was thought they would do a good job, but Black and Gaunt did not think so. War was waged for two centuries and ended with Peverell wiped out in the male line. The fighting was so vicious, that it was decided that no throne was worth the bloodshed, and thus the Ministry was created for England, Scotland and Ireland. The wizarding world would be ruled just as the muggle world was. For the best of the world, until the union of the crowns in the muggle world, meant that the Ministers for Scotland and Ireland had to come to London."

"I've never understood that." Hermione said. "Why could they not remain in Edinburgh and Dublin? Why did they have to come to London?"

Moony sighed. "Because if they had remained in their capitals, the Statute of Secrecy would've been broken. The buildings where their ministries were, were destroyed during the union process."

"And, how do my ancestors play into the Great Pact?" Harry asked intrigued.

"During the seventeen hundreds, great change was coming to Britain. The union of the crown had been preceded by the Great Betrayal where several wizarding families betrayed their oaths and swore out to the muggle parliament, informing them of the King's plans and plots. This had followed another betrayal during the Muggle Civil War. The Seventeen hundreds saw muggles and wizards mixing and killing one another in greater numbers than since the days of King Harrold. Maximillian Gaunt, a man with a lot of pride and not much sense, wanted to claim the throne for his own. He wanted to rule both words, or at least have influence over both. He proposed that the muggles be tricked into several schemes like the South Sea Bubble. Once they lost their money, he argued, they would be ripe for manipulation. Damocles Rowle was in great favour of this plan, as was Orion Black. However, Arthur Potter was horrified by it. He was of the belief that muggles needed to be handled carefully, like the goblins. And as he was a war hero, many were inclined to listen to him." Moony said.

Hermione leaned in, this was not in any of the books she had read. "What happened next?" She asked.

Moony sighed. "Arthur told the Wizengamot that the muggles needed no bribery to be told what to do. They needed to be led by the hand, and shown why their way was not working. That gathered support. He got the allegiance of the House of Black, and a marriage between his son Ignotous Potter and the Marquess of Pembroke's daughter Dorea. Maximillian Gaunt did not like that, he thought Muggles were below him and his. He approached a wizard whom he thought would most definitely achieve what he wanted." Moony took a deep breath and then said. "He approached Thaddeus Morgan."

Hermione felt surprised when Harry asked. "Is this the Thaddeus Morgan who killed the seven hundred trolls and the eight hundred goblins with three waves of his wand?"

"Yes." Moony replied.

Hermione looked at Harry and he shrugged. "I paid attention."

Ron grinned and Hermione blushed slightly, Moony smiled and then continued. "Thaddeus Morgan was a smart lad, he had gotten very high grades at his OWLS and his NEWTS, he was in Gryffindor, but he was also a descendant of Morgana le Fey, and as such had her craving for power."

"He worked as an auror did he not, after leaving Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

"That he did. It is said that some of the things he saw on that job turned him into what he became. A twisted wreck of a man who cared not for right or wrong, only for justice and for revenge. He was killing everyone within a four-mile radius of his home, and then Gaunt came and found him. Took him into his service and declared war." Moony said.

"The Houses of Black and Potter were allied together, and they waged war against Gaunt and his allies. The war tore the country apart, it spread into Europe and the colonies. It made things go completely to shit. Muggles were being murdered, wizards and witches were murdered. Eventually even Gaunt knew that Morgan could not be controlled. He abandoned the man, and allied with Black and Potter. The three of them and their allies were needed to defeat Morgan, but during that time, Arthur Potter was murdered. Morgan had been the man's friend at school, and he killed him. Ignotous Potter's revenge was bloody. Morgan's family was destroyed, his wife gone, his children gone, his father and mother gone. Everything Morgan loved was gone, until it was just the two of them." Moony said, his eyes looked haunted.

On instinct Hermione took Harry's hand and squeezed. "What happened next?" Hermione asked.

Moony ran a hand through his hair. "They fought and the world bled. At its end both Ignotous and Morgan were dead. At the end of it all, Ignotous son Harrold was the new Marquess of Argyll and Northumberland, and also the head of the Morgan family."

"They were family?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes, cousins. Morgan was Harrold's great uncle, I believe. But regardless, once the war ended, Harrold met with Black and Gaunt and they agreed to a triple alliance. Never again would one seek the throne whilst the others were alive. They would always support one another when it came to the big issues, of security and defence. Otherwise they were free to pursue their own agendas. They did not want to break the wizarding world, they wanted to protect it. Everything that is taught at school, was shaped by the Great Pact, from Defence Against The Dark Arts, to Divination. The three heads of houses decided that the time had come for the wizarding world to work together, not against one another. Thaddeus Morgan had taught them the importance of breaking against one another." Moony said.

Hermione digested all of that information in, there was something missing, something was not quite right with how she had imagined Morgan, and from the faraway look in Moony's eyes there was something he'd not told them. Harry broke the silence. "How did Voldemort happen then?"

She squeezed his hand and listened as Moony spoke. "The House of Gaunt died. The last cadet branch was gone forgotten into obscurity and the main line was killed during the war against Gellert Grindewald. Voldemort was not known for his restraint and the old houses had grown tired of being dictated to. They rebelled and the Ministry was broken and defeated and made redundant. Voldemort was a skilled politician and fighter. The old pureblood houses sided with him. Arcturus Black, your great-grandfather tried to prevent the House of Black and her vassals siding with the man, but to no success. He died a broken man."

There was a long and heavy silence that followed that, her hand was still in Harry's, she heard Harry take a deep breath and then he said. "It won't happen again."


	25. How To Politic

Sirius looked imposing in his black robes, the crest of the House of Black emblazoned boldly on them. He stood tall and straight and looked Harry directly in the eye. "Now that you know of the Great Pact, you know why it is so important for you to know how to learn how to play the great game. Whatever else might happen during the oncoming war, you must know how to play politics. You are the head of a great house and the heir to another, you are a very powerful noble, Harry. If you do not know how to play the game, then you are finished. It does not matter how you fight in the field, if in the Wizengamot you come out unstuck. Wizards and witches are nice when they are not in the Wizengamot, but in there, everyone wants something. They will want a cut of the profits of your business, they will want you to support their bill in return for something they will give you down the line. They will try and blackmail you into supporting them. Our allies are the worst at that, and so, you must know how to dance. Do you understand?"

Harry wasn't exactly sure how to respond, so he merely nodded. "Yes."

"Are you?" his father asked, his head cocked to the side. "Choose an issue and we shall debate it."

A thousand things and none flitted through his head then. Eventually he chose an issue he'd done some reading about. "House elf rights."

Sirius grinned. "A very good issue, and one that Hermione will no doubt find very interesting. Very well. Why do you believe house elves should have rights?"

The question was so sudden that Harry wasn't sure how to reply initially. He stumbled around to find the right answer, and then eventually said. "Because it is the right thing to do."

"But why is it the right thing to do?" Sirius asked. "House elves have always served wizards, ever since Scotia and Brutus were united in marriage. Why should they now have rights. Eighty percent of house elves as surveyed in the nineteen eighty survey by Edward Doge, do not want more rights. They are perfectly happy with what they have now."

Harry found that argument absurd, and said as much. "That argument is frankly preposterous."

"But why?" Sirius asked. "It is a valid piece of research and furthermore is the most recent survey that has been carried out."

Harry stumbled for a moment. Then he found his answer. "It is absurd to argue that house elves do not want more rights, based on a survey that was carried out fifteen years ago. Times have changed, the house elves have experienced greater freedoms, especially since the House Elf co-operation act of nineteen eighty-seven, which ensured they were entitled to a minimum of a day off a year. Furthermore, how many house elves were surveyed in this survey? Is there a record for the number of house elves within Britain?"

"Ninety-four percent of house elves in Britain were surveyed, based on the working of the survey done in eighteen forty-three by Angus Black. And whilst the House Elf Co-Operation Act might guarantee them a day off, it does not mean they should be treated as humans, after all they are not." Sirius retorted.

"So, the survey was done based on information that is a hundred and fifty-one years out of date? That is terrible and a great lapse in judgement by the ministry and the people who did the survey. If you are to claim that they should have no more rights, then surely it would be best to carry out a new survey into the house elf population in Britain and then find out whether they want more rights or not? After all, this old information serves nothing more than to confirm wizarding laziness." Harry said.

"Laziness?" Sirius exclaimed. "When there are things such as wand regulation, maintain the statute of secrecy and ensuring that we do not allow illegal imports of goods into the country, I think you will find that house elf rights are a minimal thing."

Harry stared at his godfather, not sure whether he was hearing correctly. This could not be Sirius. He sighed and took another breath. "Then the wizarding community cannot be surprised when the house elves revolt against them. You have noticed I am sure that recently there has been a spate of house elves begin given clothes for doing things that are common sense. Intimidating a species works only so well for a time, before they grow out of their fear, and it turns to anger. Especially as they can do magic in places where wizards cannot. As pointed out by Diggory in nineteen seventy-nine."

"And what rights would you give these house elves?" Sirius sneered, in a manner very familiar to Malfoy, such that it made Harry's blood begin to boil.

"I would give them right to basic pay, they are living in squalor most of the time. I would also ensure that they are entitled to protection from abuse. Beating a servant does nothing but inspire hatred and loathing into a servant, not obedience or loyalty, and with things getting as heated as they are now, loyalty amongst the races and their servants is desperately needed." Harry replied passionately.

"This is all assuming that the house elves want these things, what would you do if the results came back that they did not want these things?" Sirius asked.

"Then I would show them what they are missing out on. I know of four house elves who are being paid and are enjoying things. The only way to bring about proper change is to ensure that those who are the focus of the change understand both the benefits and the drawbacks." Harry said.

"So you admit there are drawbacks?" Sirius pressed.

"There are drawbacks in almost anything in life, but one must ensure that they are minimised. Here giving house elves pay and ensuring they are protected abuse, are not drawbacks, but the increased expectation for high quality work might be. That would merely mean that more training is needed for them." Harry stated confidently.

Sirius smiled at him and tapped his knuckles on the desk behind him. Signalling the end of the debate. "That was good. You have a good understanding of that issue, hence why you chose it I presume?" Harry nodded. "Very well, there are times when the issue at hand will be something you do not know much about. Therefore, it is important to be well read on everything that matters to wizards and everything that matters to you."

"That's going to be a lot to read." Harry pointed out, dread settling in his stomach.

"It is, but it is necessary so as to prevent anyone from getting something up on you, without you knowing it." Sirius said. "We shall go again. This time the issue shall be that of the handling of wands, and whether wand licenses should be abolished." Harry nodded dread forming in his stomach. "You shall be arguing for abolishing wand licenses." His godfather said before, he took a breath and then spoke. "I believe wand licenses should be maintained. After the chaos of the Great Goblin fiasco of Seventeen Fourteen, it is important that only those skilled in the art of wand making have the power to do so. To otherwise allow some fool, to make wands would to be jeopardise the wizarding community."

"How so? You give no arguments or example, merely a blanket statement." Harry replied bluntly.

Sirius' face was a blank mask, and Harry could imagine him then, Marquess of Pembroke in the Wizengamot weaving circles and webs around everyone else. "Wandmakers are trained in the fine art of ensuring spells and power are contained within a wand. To give that power to any old fool, is to endanger the very thing that keeps this society safe. If we give it to some child at a school, who knows what dangers that would enfold."

Harry found this argument difficult, he agreed with Sirius, but there was a small rebellious part of him that came forward then. "So, you would ensure that wand makers keep a monopoly? Studies done by the Institute for Wand Making have shown that the techniques used by wandmakers are old fashioned and with magic growing more unpredictable by the year, have increased the risk for more danger for young wizards. Ensuring that everyone has the needed skills to make a wand, would ensure that they could harness the wand for themselves, and tailor magic to their needs."

"And if those needs were evil? What then? The moment you give an individual such control over something as powerful as magic, is the moment you invite the devil into your house and ask for him to kill you." Sirius retorted.

"That is fear mongering. Plain and simple. One might think you have been bought and sold by the wand making community." Harry rebuked. "Until something is trialled, we cannot know how it would be handled."

"If you are willing to give an untried wizard or witch the power to make their own wand, then you are a fool. How would you have felt aged eleven, being told that you were now to make your own wand. You did not even know what magic was, you still do not. Many wizard and witches do not know what magic is, what it truly is. Wand makers do. They are trained from a young age in the art of understanding it, and manipulating it." Sirius replied.

Harry hesitated, uncertain of how to respond. He agreed with Sirius, he did. But he had been given a point of view to argue, and argue it he would. "I think you are trying to maintain the status quo. There are some very powerful witches and wizards out there, who would find reasons to make magic and wands as they pleased. Surely it would be better for everyone if every young witch and wizard understood how to make a wand, so that they might better understand themselves and their connection to magic? That way we would not have such disturbing and saddening incidents as we do, when some wands connect with some wizards and witches. You talk about making the community safe, I believe this is the right way to go about doing it."

Sirius banged his hand on the table signalling the end of the debate. Padfoot smiled. "Very good. You convinced me that you were passionate about the issue, even if it is out there. You might want to suggest more examples and facts to counteract what I said. There will be times when some old git will stand up and make an outrageous claim, you must be prepared to refute him with facts and evidence if you disagree with his point of view."

"I get that, but how am I supposed to remember everything?" Harry asked.

"Write it down, and bring the notes into the chamber with you." Sirius said. Harry's mouth dropped open and Sirius laughed. "Yes, you are allowed to bring notes into the chamber with you. Some of the gits in the Wizengamot are over seventy years old, you honestly think they remember who they are half the time? Just don't make it too obvious that you are reading from a piece of parchment and you'll be fine."

Harry nodded, and then asked a question that had been bothering him for a long time. "Do you really think that Voldemort will use the Wizengamot to try and build power?"

"Yes." Sirius answered honestly. "He did so during the first war, and he will do so again. We were caught off guard during the first war, we will not be caught off guard this time."

Sirius extended his hand and Harry took it and squeezed. "No we won't." His Padfoot smiled at him and he smiled back, determination in his words, and his thoughts. Voldemort would not win.


	26. Look Behind The Glass

Albus blinked, the hour was late, and his body was telling him that he needed to go to bed. His mind was of another mind however, demanding that there was still work to be done and so until it was done, he had to remain alert as ever. And so, he found himself hovering between the two states. Severus was sat before him, and Albus knew that they needed to discuss what had happened to Severus during the Easter as well as the failed break into the Department of History. He took a breath and then said. "Start from the beginning, tell me everything that was discussed."

Severus nodded. "Selwyn and Zabini showed up at my door on the last Friday before term started. They claimed they merely wanted to speak about their children's work, but I knew better. I knew Salisbury had sent his son off to find something that would make his life easier, and Zabini, well the man was always a hot head. I welcomed them in, and then they began speaking about how the tournament was going and how Potter seemed to be doing better than expected."

Albus leaned forward then. "What did you say?"

Severus' mouth tightened, and Albus hid a smile, was it possible that Severus was actually coming to be fond of Harry? "I told them that Potter had some brains in his head when he decided to use them and therefore was not surprised that he was doing well. They laughed."

"And why might that be?" Albus asked. He thought he knew but he wanted to make absolutely sure.

"Selwyn said that Potter was getting help from one of them, and their sources inside, who was placing little hints here and there for Potter and his friends to find. Once they were found, Potter saw them through to their logical conclusion. The dragon and the broomstick, the egg and the trip to the prefect's bathroom. All of that was being hinted at to others within Potter's circle who then took it to him." Snape said.

Albus nodded. "I take it then that they did not mention who this illustrious tipper was?"

Severus shook his head. "No, but they did hint that they had done a number on the school during the incidents with the Patil twins. And as such that got me to thinking. There were only ever two wizards I knew during my time at school who despised people of colour. Barty Crouch Junior and William Bagnold. Crouch is dead, and Bagnold is missing."

"William never showed any overt cleverness toward that sort of thing though either." Albus pointed out. "Nor did he ever show the same inclination to the dark as his mother did."

Snape nodded his head, conceding the point. He then said. "They also hinted that something will happen to Potter to bring him to the Dark Lord's presence during the third task."

At once Albus knew what that meant. "It will be the summer solstice on the day of the third task. The perfect time for a revival ritual. And knowing Tom, he will he want it to take place in some place that has meaning to him."

"The School?!" Severus exclaimed shocked. "You think he would have the ritual happen here?"

Albus shook his head. "No, the school is far too precious to Tom for him to ever risk defiling it in such a way. No, he will likely have the ritual take place in Little Hangleton the village where his father and mother were both from, or he will have it take place somewhere else."

"I do not think it will be Little Hangleton, headmaster. The Dark Lord rarely spoke of Little Hangleton except to those who were privileged to be included within his inner most circle." Here Severus stopped speaking for a moment, as if ashamed and proud at the same time as having shared an honour that not even Bellatrix had had. He shook his head and then continued. "When he did mention it, he did not speak of it with pride or happiness, only anger and disgust. I think he will want to be reborn in a place that holds some proper meaning for him."

Albus nodded, he admitted that knowing Tom that did seem more likely, for all that the boy tried to give the impression that he did not care, Albus knew he cared a lot, perhaps too much. "And where do you think he might go?"

Severus seemed at a loss for a moment before he said. "It won't be the school, for as you said, the Dark Lord does revere Hogwarts more than his own life. I think it might be somewhere he went when he was young, during his time at school. Perhaps the Dragon's Lair? Or perhaps the Castle of Salazar Slytherin."

Both were close by and Albus knew that Tom had formed some deep attachment there, unknowingly perhaps, with the locations of his ancestors. The places where he had learned of his claim. "Then that would suggest that someone will turn the cup into a portkey. The ultimate victory for Harry against his competitors, and then he gets transported to a place where they share history." He ignored Severus' wide eyed look and continued. "We must make sure that there is a failsafe on the portkey, that will enable us to track exactly where Harry goes when he touches it and to ensure only he can touch it."

Severus nodded. "I will be handling the cup in three days' time alongside Moody, I will make sure that it is done."

Albus nodded. "My thanks Severus, and make sure to keep an eye on Moody." Severus nodded and then at a signal from Albus, the potion's master got up inclined his head and then walked out of the room. Albus sat there alone for a long moment wondering when he would find the other horcruxes and how he would be able to destroy them. The diary was gone, no doubt the ring had been made into one as well, he would need to destroy that, but how was the question. The knock on the door removed him from his thoughts, he called for Minerva and Filius to enter and gestured for them to sit down. "I trust you are both well and have had a reasonably good holiday?" Both murmured words of agreement. Albus smiled and then continued. "Now, before we get onto the main subject for our meeting, I wished to point out that the attack on the Department of Historical Artefacts failed. Both Misters Crabbe and Goyle were killed during the attack, by killing curses that rebounded off of the shields Arthur and Kingsley had established around one another. The book that they were looking for has now been moved."

"That's good, very good. At least now we know the defences work, and that the Death Eaters have tipped their hand." Minerva said.

"To go after something there, they must be very desperate. Has Riddle truly begun thinking of himself as a King?" Filius asked.

"I do not know, but considering his actions during the previous war, it would not surprise me. I do believe however, that the time is coming where some of those artefacts will need to be removed to Hogwarts, which will necessitate a heavy guard." Albus said, thinking has he did so of the sword and the sabre of the coronation.

"Are you certain that is wise, Albus?" Minerva asked. "We have many rooms here that could be used that is true, but at the same time, if You Know Who is truly looking to gain them, and they come to Hogwarts, that puts all of the students in danger. And given the events of the past three years, I am not sure that is wise."

"Where else would you suggest they be kept?" Albus asked. "The Ministry might be able to hold for a time, but when Tom sends the Marquess of Salisbury himself to do the deed, then the wards will fall, and they will be gone. We cannot allow them to leave the country. And taking them to Wales as Minchum wanted, would be suicide. The Welsh would turn at the first opportunity."

Minerva sighed. "I concede, though I do not like it."

There was a pause then as they all looked at one another. Albus sincerely hoped that they would be able to prove how guilty Salisbury was before they needed to move the artefacts, but he was not confident of the fact, the man was an expert in hiding himself. He decided to change the conversation. "Now onto what we are meeting here for. Alastor, has he said anything out of the ordinary, done anything out of the ordinary?"

"He remains extremely quiet unless it is to lambast Death Eaters, both those living and dead. He does not say anything else. I think his mind has begun to fray." Minerva said.

Albus nodded, he had noticed this as well. The Alastor he knew whilst slightly old was not frayed of mind, but rather alert and constantly aware of what was happening. "Do you think then that the pressure of the job has gotten to whoever it is that is looking for him?"

"You think then that he is being impersonated?" Filius asked.

"Yes." Albus said. "He acts as though everything is normal, but that flask of his does not contain water or alcohol, I smelled it once when he left it out on the table, it smelled very familiar, perhaps of Polyjuice. I said nothing at the time because I did not have enough information. Now, I think we do."

"His actions during the second task." Minerva said. At Filius' blank expression, Minerva elaborated. "Whilst Potter was in the lake, Moody was muttering something about how he hoped the boy wouldn't drown, as his master would not be very happy and then he would be finished. It didn't make sense and I thought he was trying to think as a Death Eater would think, as Karkaroff would think, but now I think it makes more sense. He is putting himself out there."

"So, then we need to ensure that he has bait placed in front of him and he follows through and reveals himself. The question I would have though is what do we use, and how do we got about it?" Filius asked.

"We shall need to take his flask and ensure that he is indeed using Polyjuice potion, and then we shall need to speak with Peeves. He will take great delight in causing havoc for the imposter. Stealing things that Moody might consider of value, but that this man might not. We shall then need to conjure a thing that Moody might fear, that would hamper his ability to do anything but stand there. If this figure moves, we shall have him." Albus said.

"And the ingredients for Polyjuice?" Minerva asked.

"I shall have Severus remove them from his store cupboard, all of the ingredients this time. We do not want him continuing his dance. The more time we have, the greater the chances we have of protecting Harry." Albus said. Both Minerva and Filius agreed with him, and once that was sorted, they got up and nodded before they too left. Once they were gone, Albus turned to a portrait of Armando Dippet and said. "Armando, I need you to go to the Rowle manor and inform Thorfinn that his services shall be needed very soon."

Albus' predecessor nodded his head and disappeared, before returning mere moments later to say. "He says he knows what he needs to do and is prepared to do it."

Albus nodded. "Thank you."

His predecessor hesitated and then said. "Do you truly think Tom would try and revive that old claim and start a new war?"

Albus smiled sympathetically at his old friend, he knew Armando had respected Tom perhaps even seen him as a surrogate son. "I do. And he must be stopped."


	27. Quidditch Pitch

Harry walked down the steps toward where he'd been told to meet the other champions and Ludo Bagman to discuss the third and final task. If he as being honest with himself, he just wanted the tournament to be over, he wanted to be able to sleep at night. He nodded to Cedric as the Hufflepuff seeker came into view, and the boy moved to his right-hand side. They walked down together in silence, but stopped when they saw a giant maze where the quidditch pitch had once been. "What have they done to it?!" Cedric exclaimed.

As if he had suddenly apparated there, Ludo Bagman appeared and smiled. Krum and Fleur appeared as well, and then the man spoke. "Welcome to the maze, that will serve as the challenge for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament." There was a long pause, as they all looked at the maze, marvelling at it, and wondering what the hell they were supposed to do inside it. As if he could read their minds, Bagman spoke. "The task is simple. The Cup will be placed inside the maze, and your job is to get it. There will be various challenges within the maze for you to face. As to who enters the maze first, that would-be Harry and Cedric, both being tied for first place," Harry smiled at Cedric who smiled in return. "Then Viktor shall go, then finally Fleur. Now are there any questions?"

"When does the task take place?" Cedric asked.

"June the twentieth. So, in a month's time." Bagman replied smiling. He clapped his hands together and said. "Very well, if there are no other questions, you may go."

Harry turned around and walked back to the castle, Cedric accompanying him, as they walked, Harry spoke. "So, what do you make of that? A maze for the third task?"

Cedric laughed. "I think it'll be an interesting challenge. No doubt they've got Hagrid to find all kinds of dangerous animals to put in there."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, a couple of blast ended skrewts or some such no doubt." He really hoped not, he didn't want to get burned.

They fell silent after that and kept walking until they went their separate ways. Cedric to Hufflepuff tower, and Harry to Gryffindor. As soon as he was through the doors, Ron and Hermione and Neville came up to him and asked what the task was. They sat down on the sofas as Harry told them. "They've turned the quidditch pitch into a maze. The trophy will be somewhere within that maze, and we've got to get through various obstacles to get to the trophy."

"Dad said they're watching the trophy twenty-four seven now, to make sure no one puts anything on it that could turn it into a portkey or anything. It's in the Ministry every day, and at Hogwarts every night. And I've heard that Moody's been guarding it for the past few evenings." Ron said.

There was something about that, that made Harry somewhat uncomfortable, he was not sure what it was. "Is there anyone guarding the trophy with Moody?" he asked.

"Yes, Professor Snape." Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "So, what do you think will be in the maze?"

"Well, it's obvious that they'll get Hagrid to fill it with stuff, this is right up his alley. So, do you think it would be something like blast ended skrewts and hippogriffs?" Ron said.

"I hope it's the latter and not the former." Harry said. "I don't really fancy having to face a skrewt during the task."

"Nor do I think you will." Hermione said primly. When they all looked at her, she sighed. "Hagrid might have an attraction to dangerous beasts, but he's not mad. He knows there's all sorts of things that could go wrong with them. No doubt there'll be a boggart in there as well."

"That I can deal with." Harry said dismissively.

They spent the next few minutes wracking their brains over what else could be inside the maze, and when they came back empty handed, Neville cautiously asked. "Has anyone read anything more in the prophet since Christmas?" They all grimaced then, Skeeter had published her article about Hagrid's giant heritage then, and also sighted something known as the Wizard Race Act for why the Patil twins were being targeted.

"No," Harry said sincerely. "And I don't think anyone else has, have they? I mean surely it's obvious she's printing trash to get views."

"Well yeah, of course it's obvious mate, but that's the point ain't it?" Ron said. "People love reading dirt on other people. There's some sort of sick pleasure that people get out of it."

There was another long moment of silence, and then Fred and George sat down opposite them. "You'll never guess what we've heard." Fred said seriously.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Barty Crouch has been found." George said.

Harry perked up then. "Where?"

"In The Department of Magical History." Fred replied.

"What was he doing there?" Hermione asked.

"Nobody knows. The only thing they know is that he was found looking incredibly dazed, and had to be taken to Saint Mungo's to prevent himself from being infected with something." George said.

"Dad's gone to question him." Fred said. Mister Weasley had recently been named Chief Protector of the Department of Magical History after his act of protection during the holidays.

"Do you think they'll learn where he's been?" Ron asked.

Fred shrugged. "I don't know. But apparently, he was barking mad. Kept thinking Percy was there with him, and another minute was trying to confess something about his son."

"Now that is a shame. Do you think whatever happened to him whilst he was missing has messed with his brain?" Hermione asked.

Fred and George both nodded. "Definitely. Percy's been given a promotion though; he's now head of his department. And has been given permission to come and judge the final task."

"Well that's good." Ron said, smiling. Harry nodded, though for some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that Crouch appearing now should concern him somehow.


	28. Father Dearest

The leg was a pain, he had no idea how the old git managed it. The potion was running out, Snape had placed a locking spell on his store cupboard meaning he'd had to improvise. It was getting close enough now to the solstice that he didn't need to worry. He'd be long gone by the time they figured out something was wrong with Potter. Right now, though he had other concerns to think about. The figure lying on the bed in front of him for starters. Barteimus Crouch Senior. An odorous git of a man, a beater of women, and a whoremonger. Those were what he knew the man for, not the respectable harsh veneer he had carved out for himself as a ministry official, in his quest for power. The man was so full of ego he'd even seen fit to grant his son his name. How he hated that name, how he hated it all. The Dark Lord had promised him adoption if he delivered the crown jewel to him, and he was determined to see that through. He needed to get rid of his father though. It was a good thing people feared Alastor Mad Eye Moody, for they would never think to question him.

"You know Father, I never understood you." He said, his voice calm and soft, the figure on the bed shifted slightly, muttering incoherently. "You always claimed everything you did was for duty. You married Mother for duty, and you despised her. She was a brilliant witch, and you screwed her magic into a bottle and kept it locked tight. You are the reason she could never reach her full potential."

The figure twitched and muttered something that sounded like Selwyn, he smirked. "Mother told me something about you once. How you would always leave the office very late, and how you would come home expecting dinner on the table. Regardless of the fact that Mother was working her heart out in Saint Mungo's for the patients she cared about. You hit her once, I know you did, and she went crying to grandfather, who tortured you. But that didn't stop you, oh no, you did it again the minute you were sure things were safe."

Mother had pleaded with him when she'd told him that story. "She begged me never to reveal that I knew. I wanted to kill you, you know. You hurt Mother then, and you continued doing so." He got his wand out and pressed it against his father's leg sending jolts through the man's leg. "I know about your whores, Father, I know about Margaery, I knew you wanted to marry her but didn't because grandfather would have killed you. So, I killed her." He'd taken a lot of pleasure from doing so, the fear in the girl's eyes had been something proper and powerful.

"The only reason I regretted doing it later was because you came back and beat Mother. I didn't kill you then because Mother begged me not to. Do you remember?" He asked. "I tortured you for hitting Mother, I was an inch away from muttering a curse that would end you. But Mother didn't want me to do it, she said that it would raise far too many questions."

He'd been furious but he'd obliged his mother, she was the only woman he'd ever loved, the only person who'd ever loved him until the Dark Lord. He looked down at the man whose seed he was and snarled. "I don't think you ever loved Mother or me. I don't think you knew how to love anyone. I think you turned out exactly how grandfather Crouch wanted you to. A cold and dead man. You never knew what you had. All you wanted was power."

Memories of the beating he'd received when he'd been a child and hadn't done well at something, someone else's child had done well at came back then. "You never understood that there were things some were good at, and some things others were better at. That's how things work in the world. You never got that, and you took that out on me and Mother." He stopped, and sent another shiver of power through his father's leg, causing it to twitch.

"For years, I desperately tried to get your attention and your approval. I was excellent at quidditch, I was the top of my year with my grades, but that never earned a smile or praise. Only questions of why I wasn't doing more. There was nothing more I could do. Absolutely nothing more that I could do. It wasn't good enough for you though. I have the scars to prove it. You were a cruel father, and a shit of a teacher." He said.

His father's eyes flickered open briefly then. "What…. where? Who?"

"Saint Mungo's, Crouch." Moody barked.

"Moody!" His father shot up then. "You have to help me, tell Dumbledore! Tell him I made a mistake!"  
"I will Crouch, now sleep." Moody commanded. Crouch mumbled and lay back down on the bed. Instantly he was asleep.

"You always were so easy to fool. Did you know I joined the Death Eaters when I was at school? Rabastan recruited me. After I fucked his brains out of course. The Death Eaters were just a way for me to get my talents recognised. After all none of the teachers dared oppose you, the mighty and proud Barteimus Crouch, so the Death Eaters welcomed me. I shagged Bellatrix, right over Frank and Alice Longbottom as well." That had been a particularly alluring thrill, Bella was wild, completely insane.

His father stirred once more, and he knew that his time was coming. He raised his wand. "Now then, this has been something I've waited for my entire life. I wish you were standing so I could do it properly, but never mind. Beggars can't be choosers after all." He pointed his wand at his father and said clearly. "Avada Kedavra." There was a flash of green, his father twitched violently then went still. Satisfied, he placed his wand back into his pocket and limped out. He walked out of the corridor and the hospital and apparated back to Hogwarts. He sat down in his chair and smiled at Snape, and Dumbledore. It felt good, so very good.


	29. He Returns

Harry ran through the maze, it was dark, so very dark. His heart thumped loudly, his wand was drawn. He'd faced off the blast ended skrewt and used the aguamenti spell to dowse its fires before it could release them. He turned and twisted through the lanes and pathways, there were things crawling through the maze, and he did not want to get caught by anyone of them. Harry kept running, dancing through the tracks of the maze as it went. He stopped when faced with the unending cold that signalled only one thing. There was a living, breathing symbol of death here. Sure, enough, the sky darkened, the air became cold, he could hear her screams, his mother, her last words before Voldemort killed her. He never saw Voldemort's face in these things, but he heard him. The laughter of a mad man. The Dementor was there drifting toward him, and he immediately knew this was not part of the task, this thing had gotten in somehow.

Harry took a deep breath, and thought of holding the cup up high at the end of this whole thing. Of celebrating with Hermione, Sirius and Ron. He held his wand steady and said the spell. "Expecto Patronum." The stag came galloping out, throwing its horns about, it cantered right into the dementor sending it floating away in a blur. The light returned, and the cold disappeared. Relieved, Harry took a breath and then continued down the path. He took a right turn at the end of the path, and then a left turn. He was not quite sure what to make of this, but it was as if something was guiding him toward the trophy. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cedric rushing down the path as well. He quickened his pace. He got to a fork in the road, and found a creature with the head of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a dragon resting there. The creature looked at him and blinked, a forked tongue appearing as she licked her lips.

"Welcome." She said.

A Sphinx Harry thought, wondering how Hagrid had managed to get one of those here, they were incredibly rare. "Hi."

"You know what you must do to get passed?" The sphinx asked.

"Answer a riddle?" Harry guessed, his gut dropping, he was no good at riddles.

The Sphinx nodded. "Yes. You shall have three goes to guess what the answer is. If you get it right I shall let you passed, if not, I shall end you here and now."

Harry swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

The Sphinx smiled and then spoke. "I have four legs, two eyes, black hair and a silver beard. I grew up in the mountains of the lion, and I danced in the valley of the dragon. I have breathed my final breath, and I know the world for the truth it is. What am I?"

Harry was stumped, he didn't know, he had not fucking idea what this thing was. Aloud he said. "Four legs, suggesting some sort of creature, two eyes, black hair and a silver beard?" There was a creature like that, he'd read about it once in first year, but he couldn't remember what it was now. He thought on the other parts of the riddle, and then something stirred. "This is my first guess." The sphinx nodded. "Black hair and a silver beard, suggests some sort of male creature as does the four legs and two eyes." The sphinx blinked once. Reassured Harry continued. "The Mountains of the Lion," now that part confused him, he knew that in ancient India there were places where lions had roamed freely and lived as Kings. But he doubted that that was what the sphinx was on about. The Valley of the Dragon was obvious, that was Wales, but what about Wales? He spent what felt like an age stood in front of the sphinx pondering the riddle. Eventually he gasped. "You're Britain."

The sphinx nodded and said. "You may pass."

Relieved, Harry ran passed the sphinx and through the darkened corridors of the maze, as he did so he heard a scream come from somewhere in front of him. "Fleur." He murmured to himself, and ran in the direction of the scream, when he got there, Fleur was lying flat on the ground, her skin was cold to touch. He grabbed her wand then, and cast the spell for help. Then he placed her wand back in her hand and walked off. She'd be fine, he reassured himself.

He continued on his path, he saw something flying passed him and stopped briefly wondering what that was, but decided against looking for it. Instead, he pushed on. He got through to what felt like the final pathway, and there in the breach was Viktor. The Bulgarian turned to him and said. "I'll race you to it." Krum nodded to the trophy that was glittering at the end of the tunnel.

Harry grinned. "You're one." Together they raced down the breach and through toward the end, as they moved dark things came in front of them, battering them and buffeting them. Harry cast a variety of spells as did Viktor, pushing them back. They kept coming though, and at one point Viktor was pulled down. Harry stopped, stared at his friend and then at the trophy, he imagined raising the trophy, but then he looked at Viktor and groaned. He cast the releasing spell, and the dark things disappeared. He helped Viktor up and said. "Come on, let's get it together." Viktor nodded, and together they covered the distance to the trophy in a quick dash, they placed their hands on the handle together.

The sensation that they were being pulled apart and together, came over Harry, the ground disappeared, the darkness of the maze was replaced by a new darkness as they were thrown off the cup. Portkey, Harry dimly realised, as he got his bearings. They were in some graveyard, why he did not know, but he remembered it dimly. "It's a portkey." Viktor said dimly.

Harry nodded. "We have to go. Now." He had a bad feeling about this.

Viktor nodded and made to move toward the trophy, but before he could a loud groan echoed from somewhere close by. Viktor moved toward the sound and recoiled in horror. "That is Karkaroff."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, he had a very bad feeling about this. He moved to where Viktor was standing and looked down. Sure, enough, lying there on the floor before a tombstone was Professor Karkaroff, he was cut and bleeding.

"You must go!" Karkaroff whimpered out.

Once again Harry and Viktor turned to do just that, but before they could a voice sounded out from behind them. "Do it now!"

A voice Harry recognised called out. "Stabilis." Suddenly Harry was forced back against a tombstone, and the scythe of death was holding him in place. The voice called out another spell, and this time Harry saw it with blinding realisation of where he was. "Avada Kedavra." Krum dropped down to the ground in a blinding flash of green, and Harry's scar began burning with pain.

Peter Pettigrew emerged through the fog of Harry's pain, grinning madly. There was a cauldron in between where Krum had died and where Harry was. The cauldron was bubbling something hot, as if excited by the death that had just happened. Harry watched as Pettigrew dropped a dark bundle into it. He listened as Pettigrew recited some sort of potion. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you shall revive your son." A bone appeared and was deposited into the cauldron. "Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you shall revive your master." Pettigrew, took a knife and cut off his hand. His screams mixed with Harry's own as his scar burned. Pettigrew moved to him then. "Blood of the foe, of the jewel, unwillingly taken, you shall revive your foe." A knife came and cut him, he screamed, the blood was dripped into the cauldron.

 _Please let it fail. Let it drown._ Harry silently begged as his scar subsided, the cauldron boiled furiously, something was happening, Pettigrew whimpered, Karkaroff was silent. Harry took deep shuddering breaths, and then his scar played up once more. He screamed as a figure emerged from the cauldron, skeletal at first, then growing in power and strength. Black robes appeared, and the figure stood fully clothed, powerful. Harry's eyes watered as he heard the voice from his nightmares demand a wand. His scar burned as the figure pressed Pettigrew's dark mark. As the figures apparated and stood in a circle their heads bowed, Lord Voldemort spoke. "Friends, many years it has been. We are standing here in the presence of my dead father, and a man who turned traitor, to save his own skin. We all know what Lord Voldemort does to traitors." Karkaroff was pleading now. "Avada Kedavra." The words came out and Karkaroff went limp as well. "Not one of you tried to find your master, during my time in exile. Not you Lucius with your connections," the mask was removed and Lucius was slumped to the ground. "Not you Zabini." Another masked was removed. "Not you Nott." Another mask removed. The figure stopped before another one. "But you, my oldest friend, Selwyn, you did, and for that I am forever grateful." Salisbury bowed his head. "And of course an old friend's gift returned to me, and he shall be foremost amongst you when he returns." Voldemort turned to Harry then. "Now, you, Harry Potter. The boy who claimed he could defeat me. The boy who I could not touch, for an ancient magic that your mother gifted you, you shall be defeated now." Voldemort pressed his cold fingers against him, and Harry screamed in pain. Then the pain stopped and he was forced from his prison, his wand kicked toward him. "We shall duel now." Harry stumbled up to his feet, felt the pull of the spell as he was forced to bow. "Crucio." Voldemort said softly, Harry fell down to the ground writhing in pain. "Crucio." The spell came again and he writhed in pain.

"Get up Potter." Harry heard from nearby. Harry forced himself to his feet. "Crucio." He was forced to the ground, again and again, as Voldemort tortured him for sport. Harry could feel his strength leaving him.

He got up after another bout of writhing on the floor. As Voldemort shouted out the killing curse, he screamed. "Expelliarmus." As the spells met one another, the ghosts of the dead came spilling out, there was Karkaroff, Krum, an old groundskeeper he'd seen in his dream, his mother and father. "The spell will last only a moment, we shall keep him busy afterwards, grab the cup and go." His father said. "Let go sweetheart, let go!" His mother cried. Harry broke the connection, watched as the ghosts swarmed Voldemort, he cast a blasting curse at the tombstones. "ACCIO cup!" he screamed, he grabbed the cup, and found himself spinning in darkness. The next thing he knew he was on solid ground, Krum's body landed with him, he did not remember grabbing it, but he remained where he was.

Dumbledore and Sirius came rushing down the moment he landed. He felt Sirius's arms around him as he whimpered. "He's back, Voldemort's back. I saw him. He killed Viktor, he killed Karkaroff. Pettigrew was there. He's back, Voldemort's back."

"It's alright son, it's alright, you're safe now." Sirius whispered back to him.

Vaguely, he heard Dumbledore speak to Sirius. "I shall find Alastor." He felt Sirius nod. He did not lift his head, he just buried himself in Sirius' embrace, his eyes closed, trying desperately to prevent the darkness from engulfing him. Percy was approaching now as was the minister, they saw the body, Sirius said something to them, and then next thing he knew he was being led up to the infirmary, and to Madam Pomfrey. Sirius remained at his side throughout. He was changed, and he got into bed, where he remained for a long time.


	30. A Dark And Present Truth

"Is it true, Albus?" Cornelius asked his eyes wide. They'd just had the body of Viktor Krum taken up to the Infirmary to test, his parents had gone up with him. The President of Bulgarian Magic was at Cornelius' side.

Albus looked at Cornelius, he had never felt so old. His muscles creaked with the effort of it all, his mind was sluggish, but he knew he could not show weakness. "Yes." He said simply. "Voldemort is back."

"Merlin's beard!" Cornelius exclaimed. "How?!"

Albus waved a hand to where Harry had appeared with Viktor. "He turned the cup into a portkey, and used Harry's blood and the death of an innocent man to bring himself back." It was rather more complicated than that, but for now it would do.

Cornelius swore. "Now what?"

The Bulgarian President For Magic spoke then. "Iz a teacher meant to be lurking off to vhere Potter went?"

Albus wheeled around and saw Alastor limping off, not to where Harry was going. "I do not think he is going to where Harry and Sirius are." He looked meaningfully at Cornelius who caught on quickly.

"Dawlish, Shacklebolt with us." Cornelius said as they cast cloaking spells on themselves.

They followed Alastor as he limped with great purpose off to his room, where Albus felt they would finally learn exactly who the man was. As they walked, he could not help cursing himself. He was getting slow in his old age, he should have anticipated that Harry would take the cup with someone else, that someone would override the charms as had happened. He had not thought it would happen now, but it had, and someone was dead. It was like Ariana all over again. They continued walking, up the castle, down the steps, through the darkened corridors, until Alastor stopped opened his office door and slumped down in a chair. "You might as well remove the cloaking spell; I know you're there." He said, in a voice that was changing.

They removed the spell and watched as the eye popped out, as his hair turned waspish yellow instead of dark red, they watched as he thinned out. Cornelius gasped. "Mother of God, Barty Crouch Junior. How?"

Albus thought the spell and the man stopped speaking. Cornelius turned toward him his eyebrow raised. "I need to get Severus here with veritaserum, I will not have this man lie to us." Cornelius nodded, and Albus cast his patronus and sent it off to find Severus. They waited for a few moments in silence until Severus appeared, Minerva at his side. Albus pried open the man's mouth and forced the veritaserum inside it. Once that was done he removed the silencing spell.

The man laughed. "You didn't need to give me veritaserum, I would have told you everything anyway."

Albus ignored him and asked. "What is your name?"

The man smiled. "Barteimus Crouch Junior."

"Do you know who we are?" he asked gesturing toward himself, Cornelius and Severus.

"Yes. Albus Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and Severus." That last word was said in a growl.

"How did you survive Azkaban and how did you get here?" Albus asked.

Crouch grinned again. "My mother, she loved me more than my father ever did. She was dying, she wanted to get me out of the cells one more time. Polyjuice potion was used. The Dementors cannot tell the difference between one person and another, they can only tell who is afraid and who is not. The smelt one person dying entering, and one person alive leaving, as they did when my mother and father got there. I went out as her, and she stayed in as me. We got home and then my father placed me under the imperious curse. I could not move; I was looked after by the house elf. She was kind to me. She would convince my father to give me treats now and then. That was how I ended up at the Quidditch World Cup, under the invisibility cloak. My father forgot to take into account that I was a strong-willed person, I was beginning to fight back. The night of the final, I came alive and it was glorious. We were in the top box, the house elf did not like heights, she was distracted. I stole a boy's wand, and disappeared." Crouch's face was slacking a little, as if the weight of his deception was finally hitting him. "Those false Death Eaters who had abandoned my master, but thought it fit to wear his gear once more, were torturing muggles. It made me angry, they abandoned my master and now saw fit to claim allegiance to him. I cast the Dark Mark, they fled, and I laughed. But then my father appeared, I was knocked out, and the house elf was as well. He fired the house elf, and placed me under the Imperious Curse again. I was confined. And then my master came." Here Crouch grinned once more. "You see, one day Bertha Jorkins had come to my father's house to get some papers signed, and he was not home. The House Elf was, and she was talking to me. Jorkins heard, and got questioning. My father tried to obliviate her memory, but he was not as skilled as I was. I kept the link of memories there. And then she went to Albania, where she found Pettigrew. She talked, and he led her to the Dark Lord."

The man stopped speaking then, as if gathering his breath, though Albus suspected he was merely waiting for them to ask another question. "What happened then?" Albus asked.

The man smiled a sickening smile. "My master came to my home, he placed my father under the imperious curse. Forced him to get to work as normal, to report back every day when he returned. It was how the plan was formed. I would go to the school as one of the teachers, I would bring Dumbledore's trust and confidence, and I would get close to Harry Potter. Alastor Moody was named as the new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher for the year, and so I went with Pettigrew, and tortured Moody before knocking him out. I kept him locked in his trunk to use for Polyjuice potion. When Arthur Weasley arrived, I made the bins move, and told him I thought I had heard intruders. I then went to Hogwarts."

Albus nodded, he was right, but it did not give him any satisfaction, he should have acted sooner. "What happened then?"

"I got to know Harry Potter, I saw he was smart, but that he was never going to go anywhere unless pushed. My father acted on my master's orders and confused the goblet, made it think that there were more than three candidates to be entered. When I knew that had been done, I hid it, I did not want Dumbledore to know. Then I entered Potter's name into the Goblet. His name came out and the dance had begun. I continued helping Potter however I could. I caused distractions whenever I thought things were getting too close. I placed an imperious curse on Padma Patil and had her plant a bomb made from sheepskin in the Gryffindor Girls' dormitory. It worked, people focused more on that, than on other events happening right under their noses." Crouch replied.

"What other events?" Albus asked sharply.

Crouch grinned. "I was torturing Karkaroff for weeks and weeks, pumping him for all sorts of information. He sang like a bird. And I unlocked the chamber, I found what I needed to and destroyed it."

"What did you destroy?" Albus asked, he had not even known that the chamber had been opened.

"The thing that would open the eyes of the world to what is happening." Crouch replied.

Albus wanted to ask more about that, was it what he thought it was? Cornelius stepped in then. "What of the bomb that went off at the Yule Ball, what was that about?"

Crouch shrugged. "I was celebrating. I had found the thing and destroyed it. I wanted a distraction, and Hermione Granger was getting too close to telling Potter about his family." There was a horrible silence, Albus groaned inside, he needed to tell Harry and Sirius everything, he could not hide it any longer. "Once that was done, the build up to the third task occurred, but my father escaped the imperious curse, he fought just as I had done. He tried to get to the Ministry to warn you, but he found people waiting for him. He was placed in Saint Mungo's I snuck in and killed him."

Albus had suspected as much. "What happened then?"

"I returned to Hogwarts, and when the cup was under watch, I placed a sleeping spell over the guards, obliviated their memories and turned the cup into a portkey to take Potter and one other to the village where my master was waiting." Crouch said.

Albus could not speak, he found himself choking on the words he wanted to say. Cornelius spoke. "What happened then? Why was You Know Who so desperate to have Potter in his custody?"

"His blood would give him the same protection that it gave the Potter boy. He would be able to touch him; he would be able to kill him. And then he could claim the Potter right to the darkness that sits around us all." Crouch said.

Albus shared a look with Cornelius and they both knew then what Voldemort was aiming for, and how he needed to be stopped. "Voldemort has returned then. What has he offered you?"

"I am his greatest servant; I have stood by his side throughout everything. I have brought him the thing he wanted the most. He will name me his heir, and I will sit at his right-hand side as he takes over everything. You shall not be spared." Crouch said loudly.

Albus cast another spell and Crouch fell fast asleep. Then he turned to Cornelius. "I would advise placing guards around him, to ensure no one does anything."

Cornelius nodded and said. "Dawlish, Shacklebolt you shall stand guard here." The men nodded.

Albus turned to Severus and said. "You know what you must do Severus." Severus nodded and turned with a billowing of his cloak out of the room.

Albus then turned to Minerva. "You shall go and check on Harry, tell Sirius that I shall be joining him and Harry shortly." His friend nodded and walked off to Madam Pomfrey's.

The Bulgarian President For Magic spoke then. "I shall go and speak with the Durmstrang teachers. Igor is dead, and now they need guidance." With that he disappeared.

Albus and Cornelius were left alone in the room with Crouch. "What do we do now?" Fudge asked.

"Summon the Wizengamot once we have spoken to Harry, and get things in order. The sooner we act, the better things will be for us all." Albus replied, Cornelius nodded and then together they turned and walked out of the room toward Harry, and the memories of a traumatised fourteen-year-old boy. He knew that things would not go well, not after what he had told tell Sirius and Harry about the prophecy, things would get much darker for them all.


	31. Great Oak Tree

Harry shifted a little on the hospital bed, his body was wracked with tiredness, his mind was sluggish. He was not sure he could keep his eyes open, but he had done so, so far. He had to, he owed it to Viktor not to sleep before he'd told Professor Dumbledore exactly what had happened and how it had happened. Sirius had respected his desire to remain silent until Dumbledore had arrived, Hermione was at his side, her eyes red and puffy, he'd taken her hand and said how sorry he was. Ron was there, at his right-hand side, saying nothing but his presence was reassuring. Mrs Weasley was there as well, alongside Bill, and Sirius, Sirius was the only reason Harry hadn't given to the tears and the rage that threatened his very being. His godfather kept his hand on Harry's shoulder reassuring him through it all.

The doors opened and in walked Professor Dumbledore and the Minister for Magic. They stood before him and Professor Dumbledore spoke, he looked tired. "Harry, I know you have faced a great challenge tonight, a greater challenge than anyone here has ever had to face. I know you are tired, and I know there are many things you wish to say and do now, but I have one request to make." The Professor took a deep breath and then continued. "For us to truly understand what happened today, and what has been happening for the past year, I must ask you to tell me, tell us everything that happened in the maze and the graveyard tonight."

Harry looked once at Sirius who nodded reassuringly, whatever he decided to say his godfather would support him wholeheartedly, and that, that was everything. He looked at Hermione and his heart broke again, his friend was going to be wracked with even more grief. He took a deep breath, and spoke. "I went into the maze, and for a time things were fine. I dealt with the sphinx, and I dealt with the blast ended skrewt. But then when I came face to face with the dementor I knew something was wrong."

"There was a dementor in the maze!" Fudge exclaimed.

Harry nodded. "It came for me, I…" he trailed off, looked at Sirius who nodded reassuringly. "I heard my mother screaming for Voldemort to stop, to take her instead of me. That's how I knew it was a real dementor." Sirius' grip on his shoulder tightened, but he continued. "After the dementor I found myself looking at Fleur's unconscious body, I sent red sparks up to get her out of the maze. I continued, I saw Cedric getting chased by something that looked like a snake, but I wasn't sure." Here he stops and hangs his head in shame. "I didn't try to help him, I knew the trophy was close by, I could feel it in my gut." He took a deep breath, looked into the Headmaster's eyes and saw no condemnation, instead the headmaster looked as if he understood. "Viktor and I ran together and we grabbed a handle on the trophy. I thought we should both get the trophy, because we helped one another before." He didn't say how they'd helped one another, Hermione didn't need to hear that. He swallowed and continued. "Then a blackness engulfed us, and we appeared in a graveyard. There was a cauldron in the middle of the thing, and there was a great reaper statute, and on it was the name Thomas Riddle." He took a deep breath; the nightmare was becoming more real. "A figure appeared out of the blackness, it was Peter Pettigrew," a growl escaped Sirius. "He was carrying a bundle in his hands. The thing spoke, and it demanded that he killed the other two people who were there. It was then I realised that Karkaroff was there, he was tied up and beaten and bloody. Pettigrew cast the killing curse on Viktor, and he fell." He closed his eyes. "But Karkaroff was not killed next. Instead I was tied to the statue, and Pettigrew took my blood as well as Voldemort's father's bone, and his own hand. All of them went into the cauldron. My scar began to hurt madly, and then Voldemort appeared." That image had been worse than anything he had previously dreamed of when he had been younger. Voldemort had been so real, and so evil, he'd wanted to scream. "Voldemort killed Karkaroff. Then he summoned the Death Eaters, he pressed the dark mark on Pettigrew's arm. And they came." Here he fell silent, he didn't want to say anymore, he was not sure he could say anymore, but he looked at Hermione, saw her red eyes and her red nose, and he knew he had to say more, she deserved to know more, to know Viktor had not died in vain. "Malfoy, Selwyn, Mulciber, there were many others who appeared. Voldemort gave them a long-winded speech about loyalty." He stopped then and remembered. "He said there was someone of his at the school!"

Everyone turned to look at Dumbledore who nodded. "I know, please Harry continue."

Harry took another shuddering breath and spoke. "He released me then and we duelled. He tortured me for a time, but then I got up and cast a spell. When our spells locked with one another, the ghosts of the dead came out of the wand, and spoke to me."

"Priori Incantatem." Hermione whispered.

"The reverse spell effect." Sirius said to him when he looked at him questioningly.

"Your wand and Voldemort's share the same core. From Fawkes." Dumbledore explained.

Harry digested that information and then continued. "They gave me a chance to get away, I ran, grabbed Viktor's body and then grabbed the Portkey, and I arrived back here."

He wanted nothing more than to sleep now and never wake up again. But he listened as Voldemort spoke. "I will say it now, and I will say it again. You have been extraordinarily brave Harry. You have faced a thing that not many people could face and you survived. You have returned home, and now we owe you all a great debt. I will let you sleep, but first I must inform you of this." The headmaster looked at Fudge who nodded and then he spoke. "Voldemort was right, there was a spy of his serving here, right under my nose. He served as Alastor Moody through the use of Polyjuice potion. His name was Barteimus Crouch Junior."

"Barty Crouch!" Sirius exclaimed. "How? I thought he died?!"

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "He was smuggled out of Azkaban by his father and mother, she took his place, and he took hers. It seems that he was kept under virtual house arrest by his father, until he began fighting against the imperious curse. Voldemort learned of his survival through Bertha Jorkins, when she was on holiday in Albania. He sent Crouch to Moody's house and imprisoned him within his trunk. I have ensured that Alastor has been removed from his trunk and he should be recovering here." There was a long moment of silence then as they digested all of that.

Eventually, it was Sirius who spoke. "What happens now?"

"Now we prepare for war. Voldemort shall not rest until he is back at full strength we cannot allow that to happen. I have already asked Cornelius to call for a meeting of the Wizengamot tomorrow morning." Professor Dumbledore said. "I would ask that Arthur be informed as well, he will be required to protect the department."

Bill stood up then. "I'll go and tell him."

"I shall come with you." The Minister said. Together they both walked out of the room.

The Professor looked at Sirius. "I will see you at the Wizengamot session tomorrow Sirius. But for now, I suggest we allow Harry to rest."

Sirius nodded, and then asked. "What is going to happen to Crouch?"

The professor sighed. "He is to be transported to Loch Leven Prison tonight. I will oversee his transferal myself."

Sirius nodded. The Professor looked at him then. "Harry, I suggest you get some sleep." Harry nodded, he watched as the professor walked out of the room, and then he looked at Sirius who nodded at him. With that he slumped back down onto his pillows, and closed his eyes.

 _"My lord, it has been done. Crouch has been taken prisoner, as you said he would. He has spoken to them and told them all. What would you wish to happen?"_

 _"He will be transferred to Loch Leven. I want him killed before he ever reaches there. If he reaches there, then he will speak more about what he has done."_

 _"Very well my lord, I shall see to it."_

 _He watched the figure disappear, and then he sat back down in the chair in his father's old manor. He would need to rebuild, it was a shame Potter had escaped, it would have been fun to inform him of the truth. He had come very close to revealing it all in that graveyard, but that would not do. Only he could know the truth, until such time as everything was in order. He would need to ensure that things were kept more closely aligned for the time being. Perhaps it was time to use Selwyn's connections in the Ministry to more effective use._

Harry's eyes opened and it was pitch black. Everyone was asleep, but Sirius came to him then and whispered. "Are you alright?"

Harry nodded. "Voldemort knows where Crouch is being taken."

"I'll inform the professor." Sirius said, he bid Harry return to sleep before he disappeared. Harry watched his godfather leave, and then tiredness claimed him again.


	32. Loch Leven

His hands were shackled, his wand was now back with Moody, its rightful owner. Barty found that quite funny, Moody was going to be even more paranoid than before, and he would never stand up to an enquiry, it was fantastic. Now if only he could get rid of these fools who were plaguing him. Dawlish and Shacklebolt, he knew Dawlish's brother, had been in the same year as him, in the same dorm. They'd experimented on one another when the Dark Lord had been growing in power. If he remembered correctly, he'd killed the kid when the Dark Lord had asked him to. He knew the Dark Lord would not be angry that he'd been found out, they had planned for this, and he knew what was going to happen soon enough, even if these fools did not. He felt his lips move into a grin, and then he laughed.

He got cuffed around the side of the head. "What are you laughing at?" Dawlish snapped.

Barty did not answer, instead he merely laughed louder and harder. Oh, this was going to be so much fun. When the time came, they would be finished. He got another cuff around the head. "I asked you a question." Dawlish demanded.

Barty sneered at the man. "I remember your brother, Dawlish. He was a nice kid, a bit slow sometimes, and he had a really dark desire for something else in life. Said he was afraid you'd never accept him if you understood just what he was. I remember how good he felt as I did my business to him. And the look of fear in his eyes when I killed him."

Dawlish snarled. "Keep your mouth shut Crouch."

"Or what?" Barty sneered. "What will you do to me? You cannot harm me Dawlish. You must get me to Loch Leven; we both know that. We're not far away from it now. Should I turn up injured your neck will be on the line. Much like your brother's was."

He cackled as Dawlish lunged only to be held back by Shacklebolt. "Dawlish, keep calm, you can't give him what he wants." Shacklebolt's deep voice echoed throughout the empty tavern.

"Ah yes, Kingsley Shacklebolt, ever the reasonable man. Tell me, did you ever wonder what happened to your sister?" Barty teased.

Shacklebolt stopped, and stared at him, for a brief moment he felt threatened, but then Shacklebolt turned away, his ears perked up. "Something is moving outside."

"Go, check it out, I'll stand guard over this fool." Dawlish said.

Shacklebolt nodded and walked out of the room. For a few moments there was silence and then there was a loud crack, and shouts echoed out. Barty grinned, he knew his master would not have forgotten him. Shacklebolt came flying through the door, causing Dawlish to jump up. There standing in the doorway were three men. One of whom Barty was relieved to see. "Who are?" Dawlish snarled.

"Oh, but you know who we are." The Earl of Evesham drawled. "Dawlish, your time has come."

Dawlish straightened up and snarled. "Stupefy." At the time he did that, a casting shield was cast.

The Earl of Evesham laughed. "I would play along, but I must get this one back." He drew his wand and then whispered the spell. "Avada Kedavra." Green sparks flew out from the wand and hit Dawlish before he could cast a defensive spell. He fell to the ground.

"What about Shacklebolt?" Came the voice of Damien Rookwood.

"Kill him also." Evesham said.

Rookwood nodded. "Avada Kedavra." Shacklebolt twitched and then fell still.

Now the earl turned to him. "Realsio." The shackles fell to the ground and Barty moved his hands, feeling freedom within his grasp. "Come we must go quickly, before Dumbledore sends someone to get you." Barty grabbed onto the man's shoulder, and together they apparated.

They appeared not in the village of Little Hangleton, but instead in a manor house, somewhere on the Channel Islands. Barty was surprised by this and looked inquisitively at Evesham who ignored him. It was for Slughorn to answer. "The Dark Lord has moved out from the manor in Little Hangleton and is now laying low. He will be returning shortly. We are here until such time as we have dealt with those most pressingly searching for you."

"The Dark Lord intends to kill the Minister?" Barty asked amazed.

"Soon, but not yet, there are others more powerful who cannot be allowed to find the scent of your trail. They will find Shacklebolt, but not Dawlish, and given his brother's history some will suspect the worst. That is all we can hope for, for now." Slughorn said.

Barty nodded, and took the bread that was offered to him. He bit a huge chunk out of it, and listened as Evesham spoke to Slughorn and Rookwood. "We must ensure no one, no one knows where we are now. Not even Salisbury. We must keep close watch on everyone who appears nearby."

"What of Greyback? He will be returning here soon." Slughorn asked.

"Greyback is here?" Barty exclaimed, a momentarily ripple of fear coursed through him, he did not like Greyback, there was something off about him.

"Yes, the Dark Lord has seen fit to bring him back from exile. He will be ensuring that the locals here are turned and brought to our side quickly." Slughorn said.

Barty nodded, it was a smart plan. Yet he did not fail to note how Evesham did not even look at him. Was he still nursing that grudge? If so, what could he do to remove it? He sighed, and then said. "Thank you for this, I will head to sleep now. I've had quite the day." Evesham nodded as did the others, Barty leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. When he woke, the sun was blinking through, and a figure was stood before him. Barty looked at the figure, and saw death written all over it, before it disappeared, and he came to his senses and began preparing for the return of his master.


	33. Wizengamot, Old Fools

There was an expectant hush around the Wizengamot. Sirius could tell that many of the members suspected why they were here, and others were none the wiser. He stared around the room, looking for those who would've been there at the graveyard. He'd felt his heart thump with worry when Harry had spoken. Lucius had done his job though, and for that Sirius was grateful. Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke. "My lords and ladies, thank you all for coming. We are here for this emergency meeting, at the request of the Minister for Magic. Cornelius if you would be so kind?"

The Minister stood up looking rather pale. "Thank you. My lords and ladies, a short while ago I was at Hogwarts, for the final task of the Triwizard tournament. As the task ended, we found Harry Potter returning by way of a portkey, to the grounds, clutching Viktor Krum's lifeless body." That drew a great shout of unease amongst the gathered nobles. Dumbledore had to bang his wand against the table to create silence. Fudge nodded gratefully before continuing. "Harry explained to us what had happened. The Triwizard trophy had been turned into a portkey, that had taken him to the outskirts of Little Hangleton. It was there that He Who Must Not Be Named returned to life, using the bone of his father, the hand of his servant and the blood of Harry. He killed Viktor Krum because the boy was collateral, and he killed Karkaroff for being there." There was even more of a racket at his words, Sirius saw Nott shift slightly, and he knew the man was uneasy about where this was going. "We then apprehended a man who had been working internally for He Who Must Not Be Named at the school for the past year. This man, named Barteimus Crouch Junior explained the plan of his master's return, and word for word it linked with everything that Harry said. The man was arrested and kept under watch, transferred to Loch Leven late last night."

Silence and then the Marquess of Salisbury stood up. "If these words are true then they present a very worrying fact." Sirius cocked his head to one side, he had thought Salisbury would be desperate to bury the fact that his master was back. "A monster was allowed to go undetected within the school for a year. That is most worrying."

 _Ah, shit._ Sirius watched as Dumbledore stood up then. "I admit that upon learning that Barteimus had been masquerading as a teacher for the past year I was very embarrassed and angry with myself. However, I had cast every single detection spell known to man, and none of them turned up anything. It does not surprise me, for the man had been using Polyjuice potion and as we all know the potion will mask anyone against detection."

Salisbury laughed. "So, you admit to failing to protect the children at the school?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I admit to not being as careful as I should have been." That drew a murmur from some of the people gathered, it was note every day that Dumbledore admitted to wrongdoing.

"As for this nonsense about Crouch being alive, he died. We all know he died. Crouch Senior held a god damned funeral for his son, and as such, why would you think we would believe you?" Salisbury demanded.

At this Sirius stood up. "Because it is the truth. Dumbledore and the Minister both confronted Crouch, I saw Crouch with my own eyes. As did Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall. Many people saw Crouch alive with their own eyes. He is alive and he did the work of the man who calls himself a lord."

Just as expected, Salisbury bristled at that. "So, how do you explain the very visible death he suffered during his time in Azkaban, Black?"

Sirius sighed. "As he explained it, his mother and he took Polyjuice potion, one went in and one left. She went in as him, and he left as her. It is easy to confuse the dementors they know only fear."

That caused Fudge to flush with embarrassment, it was well known that he was a vocal supporter of using Death Eaters. "So, then, it was a problem with how the place was run that meant he escaped. How very interesting." Salisbury said. "I propose that this house launch an inquiry into how exactly Crouch Senior was able to abuse his position in the Ministry to get a convicted killer out of the highest prison in the land. I also propose we launch an investigation into how the Ministry does its security probes. Evidently they are lacking somewhere."

Fudge was silent, but Sirius could see he was bristling with anger. "So, you will ignore the fact that Lord Voldemort has returned from the dead? And that he very visibly tried to harm my son?" Sirius demanded.

Salisbury laughed. "I do not see him here within this chamber. Until I do, I do not think one can say he has returned. All I know is what your son told these two men." Here he gestured at Fudge and Dumbledore. "And recent admissions made within this chamber have made me deeply question whether what they say can truly be trusted. Or if they are going senile in their old age."

"You go too far!" Bellowed Old Tiberius Ogden. "Remember who it is you are speaking to Salisbury."

Salisbury looked at Ogden as if he was nothing more than a piece of dirt on the floor. "And I would remind you to remember who you are speaking to Ogden. I am voicing a reasonable concern here." Salisbury paused, and then continued. "Potter claims that the Dark Lord has returned, but presents no evidence. You claim Crouch Junior is alive and is working for the Dark Lord, but have not brought him here for questioning, how are we to judge what you say if he is not here?"

At this Dumbledore chuckled. "Why, with my memory of course." A pensive appeared, and a memory began to play. When it was finished, the entire hall was silent, it was almost as if death had come to visit them. Dumbledore smiled and asked. "Do you have any further questions?"

The hall was silent, then Edward Greengrass, Marquess of Shrewsbury and Hamilton spoke. "Crouch appears madder in that memory than I ever remember him being in life before his imprisonment. Is it possible he imagined the whole thing?"

Sirius snorted. "You think that someone could imagine being confronted by the evillest wizard to have lived in recent memory? You think someone could imagine being told how and exactly what to do to ensure that said wizard returned to power, in such meticulous detail? Are you really that blind Greengrass?"

Greengrass blushed. "I am not suggesting anything, but I am merely asking if it is a probability? After all, we have now seen him, and he does not look the least bit sane. The years in Azkaban combined with the toll being under his father's will would've exerted on his mind would be enough to break anyone."

Sirius mulled that over and then said. "Regardless of the nature of Crouch's mental state, it is imperative that we do something now. We waited far too long in the dark the last time Voldemort was at large. I propose we send patrols out to all his known hideouts and we make sure we remove anyone who might be there."

Mrs Longbottom, Frank's mother spoke up in agreement. "I believe the Marquess of Pembroke has the right of it. You Know Who must be stopped as must his followers. We will not have another war on our hands if we act now."

Black expected Salisbury to protest, but surprisingly he remained silent. This prompted Dumbledore to speak. "Very well, all those in favour of patrols and heightened defences in response to the return of Lord Voldemort say aye." Sirius alongside almost the entire hall said 'Aye.' Dumbledore banged a hammer and smiled. "The motion passes. Cornelius if you would have the aurors ready to report as soon as possible?" The Minister nodded, and the meeting came to an end.


	34. Girl Talk

Summer was here in all its glory. The days were longer; the sky was blue and the temperature was a lot warmer. It was brilliant, but it also wasn't. An air of sadness hung over Hogwarts. The Triwizard Tournament, which had been such an interesting spectacle throughout the year had ended in tragedy. Viktor had died, murdered by You Know Who, and that had turned everything upside down. She had been friends with Viktor, had gone to the ball with him, but that had been it. She was more concerned about Harry and how he was holding up. It had been three days since he'd returned from the maze, and in that time, she'd seen him five times. Each time he'd tried to put on a brave face, but he'd looked absolutely terrified, and it broke her heart. So, she'd brought Ron along, away from Lavender, and together they were sat at their friend's bedside and they talked about everything and nothing.

"Exams have all been cancelled, for everyone. It seems The Headmaster wants people to be able to digest everything in properly." Hermione said. Whilst normally she'd be horrified at the thought of missing any exams, now she thought it was appropriate. She didn't think she'd able to concentrate on runes, not with the thoughts lurking around in her head.

"I bet everyone's really happy about that." Harry said, then he added. "Especially you Hermione."

Hermione laughed alongside him and Ron and playfully swatted his arm. "Really, it's not a bother. I'm sure I'd have done terribly on the Runes exam. I'd barely had any time to revise." And it was true, even before the third task and everything that had come from it, she'd not been able to concentrate.

Harry snorted. "Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure you said you were going to get full marks for the exam anyway."

"Yeah, but that's that ain't it?" Ron said then suddenly. "Exams are cancelled but everyone's been sorta quiet. Not like the usual buzz you get you know?"

Hermione sighed, she'd have liked to have had more time to talk about normal stuff, but she guessed that this was the only time they could talk about it freely. She answered Harry's questioning look. "No one's quite sure what to do with themselves. Dumbledore gave a speech at the evening meal yesterday, where he told the whole school what had happened. Including the bit about Crouch impersonating Moody. That got everyone nervous. I think most of the students are trying to figure out where they stand on the matter."

"The prophet's been going into overdrive. Trying to handle that, and the numerous reported sightings of You Know Who that there supposedly have been recently. The Wizengamot formally voted to ensure that everything was done to handle the situation appropriately." Ron added.

"What of Barty Crouch? Did he make it to Loch Leven? What is Loch Leven? Sirius wouldn't tell me." Harry asked.

Hermione shared a look with Ron, they both knew Harry wasn't going to react favourably to the news. They most certainly hadn't. She took a deep breath and then said. "Crouch escaped. It seems that he was helped by several Death Eaters. His guard were all killed."

"What?! How?!" Harry exclaimed. "How has everyone reacted to this?"

"Nobody knows how they got to know. Sirius told the Headmaster about what you saw, and he sent extra guards off, but they were all killed. So far reaction has been mute. I think Fudge has been covering it up." Hermione said.

"So a mad man is on the loose and nobody knows a damn think about it, because the Minister is terrified that he'd be even further discredited?!" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"It's not just that Harry." Ron said suddenly. "Think about it for a second. The whole world has just found out Crouch's father, a well-respected man broke the law and broke his son out of Azkaban. They then find out he came to Hogwarts under You Know Who's orders, impersonated a teacher and got away with it for a year. You Know Who is back, everyone knows that now. And then Crouch escapes. People would panic, there'd be no order within the world, and that is exactly what You Know Who wants."

Harry sighed. "I suppose you're right. Still doesn't make it okay though."

Ron nodded. He stood up and said. "Anyway mate, I've got to go. I said I'd help Fred and George with something." Harry nodded and Ron walked out and left, leaving Hermione with him.

Hermione looked at Harry and cautiously took his hand in hers. She ignored the swooping sensation she felt having his hand in hers and asked. "How are you feeling Harry? Honestly?"

Harry was silent for a long time, eventually he replied. "Honestly? I'm tired. Really, really tired. But I'm too scared to go off to sleep. I know what I'll see when I go off to sleep, and I don't think I want to see it. Not anymore."

Hermione nodded, she didn't fully understand what her friend was going through, but she wanted to be there for him. She looked at him for a moment, and when he nodded, she looked around and seeing that there was no one else there, she got off her chair and onto the bed next to him. Her head came to rest on his chest and their hands were linked. They sat there in silence for a very long time. She could hear the steady rhythm of Harry's heart, it was a reassuring presence, and it lulled her to sleep. It must have done, for when Harry spoke her eyes flew open.

"You know, I think for the first time that I can ever remember, I'm really looking forward to leaving the school. Putting a bit of distance between me and it. I think I'd love for the summer to come now, so that I can get to know Sirius and Remus properly." Harry said.

Hermione hummed in agreement. "I can understand that."

Harry did something unexpected then, he kissed her hair and whispered. "We'll see each other during the summer, right?"

Hermione moved her head off of his chest and nodded. "Of course." Harry smiled and it got her heart thumping. On instinct, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, and when he replied in kind she felt blood rush to her cheeks.


	35. Hangman Calls

Sirius felt tired, his eyes were quite literally closing of their own volition. He'd been up for hours since the third task, pacing backwards and forwards in Pembroke Castle and at Doune Castle, trying to figure out a way to protect Harry and ensure that he never had to face Voldemort again. It was getting tiresome, but he would keep going. And now this news had come. He looked at the Minister and asked. "How? How has this happened? We did everything we could to ensure that Crouch was protected, to ensure he could not be set free. How did they break through?"

Fudge looked as tired as he felt. "I believe that our reinforcements were prevented from reaching Shacklebolt and Dawlish. A group of Death Eaters accosted them as they were making their way over. Three of them died, and the rest are being treated in Saint Mungo's."

Sirius nodded, he should have suspected that something like this would happen. Voldemort was too clever by half to allow someone such as Crouch to be arrested so easily. Another thought came to him then. "Will Voldemort kill Crouch? He is sure to know that the man spoke to us. He will know and then he will have no more use for him, surely?"

The Headmaster spoke then. "I think Voldemort will keep Crouch alive for now. He has invested time and effort into making the boy the perfect vessel. And as we saw during the interrogation, Crouch is quite devoted to him. That is something that Voldemort desires most in his followers. Crouch will have his uses for Voldemort, and as such we must be careful."

"Yes that does make sense. I'll have people search the Crouch Manor and every other location where Crouch was known to have taken his family." Fudge said instantly.

"From the way he spoke, I don't think Crouch Junior really liked his father. I do not think he will return to those places." Sirius pointed out.

Fudge nodded in concession his eyes becoming heavy. "Right you are. Now breaking this to the Wizengamot will not be fun. No doubt Salisbury will try and stir some form of trouble. I have a feeling Greengrass will do the same. Salisbury because he has the need to, and Greengrass because he is well Greengrass."

"If we know Salisbury is most likely leading the pro Death Eater faction at the Wizengamot, why do we not merely move in and find something that could incriminate him? Remove Salisbury and Voldemort loses his most powerful support." Sirius pointed out.

The Headmaster spoke then. "We could, but if we did, we run the risk of alerting Voldemort to exactly what we are doing. During the first war, Voldemort was always a step ahead of us because we made it too obvious as to what we were going to do and how. That there were several moles within the Ministry did not help either."

"So, we allow Salisbury to continue roaming free, no doubt whilst his master has others recruiting the deepest and darkest of the wizarding folk." Sirius said feeling sick to his stomach.

"It is not pretty, but war never is." Dumbledore said. "Now, Minister, have you per chance managed to look into the Bagnold file?"

At this Sirius perked up. "What's this about Bagnold?"

Dumbledore held up a hand, and gestured for Fudge to speak. The Minister did. "I have managed to have a look through some of the notes you sent me. They make for disturbing reading. I really did not know that Gerold Bagnold was capable of such things. He really does make Voldemort seem lesser of evil."

"What did he do?" Sirius asked impatiently. He had heard of Gerold Bagnold.

"He was the one who first theorised about splitting one's soul into more than one piece. He was someone who I believe Voldemort took great interest in. And I believe that Voldemort might will have sought him out after he left school." Dumbledore said.

Sirius, felt he had an understanding of where this conversation was going, and it was beginning to make him feel sick. "You think Voldemort deliberately sought people out of importance, to kill them and make sure his soul was never brought under duress?"

"Yes." Dumbledore said simply. "I believe that when he used Harry's blood during the ritual, he was attempting to bring a fraction of his soul back into place. You see, Harry was the unintended seventh kill he made. And as such, his soul was too weak to properly function. When the killing curse rebounded, a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached itself to Harry. Numerous times I tried to remove it, but could not. And so, Voldemort has done us a favour."

Sirius felt horrified that a piece of that shit's soul had been attached to his son, and he could see the shock reflected in Fudge's eyes as well. "So, what does this mean now? Will Harry no longer have to suffer through the pain from his scar?" He hoped so, for his son's sake.

His heart sank when Dumbledore shook his head. "Unfortunately, I believe that is a connection that will remain. Harry and Voldemort are tied together by more than that one night. They share blood now, and they share a common ancestry. They will be linked together until the end, whenever that might come."

Sirius swallowed and nodded. "What could Voldemort have used to store his soul fragments; I do not believe he would have allowed them to just exist. He'd have wanted them stored."

"You would be correct. The diary that Lucius Malfoy gave to Ginny Weasley was one such fragment. It was destroyed when Harry pierced it with a basilisk fang. As for the others, I believe Tom would have attempted to place them in things he considered important." Dumbledore replied.

"So, things belonging to the founders of Hogwarts then?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, as well as things that symbolise his royal heritage." Dumbledore said.

"But those things were lost during the great war!" Sirius pointed out.

"That they were, but knowing Tom, he would have done everything he could to find them. And so, we must do the same." Dumbledore said. There was a long silence after that, which was only broken when Sirius yawned. Dumbledore clapped his hands. "The hour is late; we all have places to be tomorrow. I suggest we get some rest." The Minister stood up and nodded to them both before using the floo network to get back to London. Sirius got up and was about to leave when Dumbledore called out. "Sirius, will you be telling Harry of this?"

Sirius hesitated for a moment, he knew that if he were Harry he would hate being kept in the dark, but as a parent, well he knew Harry and he didn't want his son tearing off on some mad impulse. "I will tell him what I think he needs to know." He saw Dumbledore nod before he opened the door and walked out of the room and back to his bed.


	36. Summertime Blues

_The room was barren, a strange sight for a family of as much wealth as the Longbottoms were. No doubt Dumbledore had told them to remove the wealth or keep it elsewhere. That was of no matter, that was not why they were here. He turned to his wife and brother. "Bring the woman here. Find the boy as well if you have to. Crouch, you remain here with me." His brother slithered out of the room followed by his wife, really Rodolphus was not sure he liked his wife all that much, there was something wrong with her head. Perhaps it was the Black blood inside her. Crouch remained at his side, looking all the world as a tired and scared man. "Look under the sheets, you might find something of use, boy." He said, Crouch did as he was told, fidgeting all the while. Eventually he stopped and shook his head, Rodolphus sighed, the Dark Lord would be disappointed. He turned as he saw Frank and Alice Longbottom being prodded into the room. "Where's the boy?" He asked his wife._

 _"Not here, we do not know where he is, they aren't saying anything." His wife replied._

 _Rodolphus nodded. Then looked at the Longbottoms. "Very well." He drew out his wand and said. "I am only going to ask you this once. So, I expect a direct answer. What happened to the Dark Lord?"_

 _"We do not know." Frank Longbottom replied, his jaw jutting out defiantly._

 _Rodolphus stared at him and snarled. "You are lying to me Longbottom. I told you not to do that. Crucio." Longbottom fell to the floor where he writhed for a time, his wife screamed. Eventually the spell wore off. "Now, where is the Dark Lord?"_

 _"I told you, we do not know." Longbottom replied from his place on the floor._

 _"And I told you, that I did not want any lies. Crucio." Rodolphus said simply. Longbottom writhed on the floor again. Rodolphus turned to Crouch and Rabastan. "Turn this house inside out. Look for anything that might give us a hint as to where the Dark Lord might have gone." The two men nodded and hurried out._

 _Rodolphus turned toward Alice then, he was sad about what he was going to have to do now. He had liked Alice once. "Where is the Potter boy?"_

 _Alice said nothing, but Frank snarled. "Gone, far away from where you could ever reach him."_

 _"Crucio!" Bellatrix snarled. Frank writhed on the floor, blood came out of his mouth then._

 _"Bellatrix, what are you doing?!" He roared at his wife. "I told you I was to get the answers, not you!"_

 _His wife batted her eyelids at him, she was certainly beautiful, that much was true, but she was not warm, at least not like her sister was, Lucius had certainly won himself a bride there. And he, he had been left with the shaft. He did not see what the Dark Lord saw in Bellatrix. "You were taking too long, dear husband of mine."_

 _Rodolphus was about to respond, when Rabastan and Crouch reappeared. "There's nothing here. Nothing at all." Rabastan said._

 _Crouch spoke. "But we heard them, the guards, they're approaching."_

 _Rodolphus nodded. "Together." As one they spoke the spell, and then the doors burst open._

Harry's eyes flew open. He could hear himself breathing, the hour was early still. Everyone else appeared to be asleep, but he was not sure he could go back to sleep himself. His dream had been so real. That was the first time he had ever dreamt of something from the past. At least he thought it was from the past. The Longbottoms and the Death Eaters who had tortured them. Why had he dreamt of that? Was there something significant to it? He was not sure, and he was not sure he really wanted to spend any more time thinking about it. instead he picked up the book on his bedside table, it was a book Sirius had given him a while back. He read through it, allowing himself to get lost within the stories being told about a wand, and three brothers who had cheated death. He laughed and smiled at parts, and shivered at others.

Eventually, the others started getting up and so he did as well. He put on his clothes and walked to breakfast with Ron. Hermione joined them, and the three of them ate and talked. "You know, I really hope you guys can come over during the summer. We're adding a few things to the manor, it'd be really cool if you guys could come and help." Ron said between mouthfuls of toast.

Harry wondered what his friend was on about, and then he remembered, term was ending in a few days. That was going to be odd, heading back not to the Dursleys but to Sirius and Remus. He looked forward to it. He didn't hear what Hermione replied with, but soon enough Ron was getting up, no doubt to go and speak to Lavender. Leaving Hermione and he alone. For the first time since their little kiss. Harry looked at his friend, and felt the familiar swooping sensation in his stomach. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." She said in response.

"I…what are you doing this summer?" he asked, because really, he wanted to talk about the kiss, but he didn't really know how to talk about it.

"I think I'll probably be going off to Spain with my parents for two weeks, and then I'll be back home for the rest of the holiday. How about yourself?" Hermione replied.

Harry smiled. "Getting to know Sirius and Remus properly I guess. And getting to know more about my heritage and what it means."

"That's probably a good idea." Hermione replied kindly. There was a moment of silence where it appears she might bring up the thing he most desperately wanted to talk about, but instead she said. "If you wanted, we could meet up a bit more this summer? It should be easier to, now that you're not stuck with the Dursleys."

Harry had the feeling Hermione meant without Ron, he grinned. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot." Hermione smiled and her cheeks turned a cute colour of red. But before she could reply, Dumbledore got up, and gave his famous end of term speech. It was both interesting, daunting and scary. But through it all, he and Hermione held hands, and he felt calmer because of it, even if he hadn't yet managed to ask her about their kiss. He was sure he would get the chance to do so over the summer.


	37. A Past And Future Secret

"From looking through the old historical archives, I think we've got a basic idea of what it is You Know Who is looking for." Arthur said. He could feel the tiredness in his bones, he'd spent longer at the Ministry in the past three weeks, since school had ended than he had done in his entire career. "I think he's looking for something that was last around during Thaddeus Morgan's era."

The Headmaster shifted slightly. "Do you think he is looking for the Staff then Arthur?"

Arthur nodded. "It would make sense. After all, the staff is one of the most powerful items the seven had when they came here. Why would he not want it?"

The headmaster hummed his agreement but Fudge spoke. "If it is after the staff, then we must make sure that he does not find it. Have you been able to locate it yet?"

Arthur shook his head. "I've spend the past few days looking through every historical account I can find, as well as looking for any trace of it within the department. There is nothing, nothing at all. It's almost as if it was removed from record for good."

Sirius spoke then. "Considering the power it has, is that any surprise? The staff is supposed to wield complete and utter power, and seeing as several gods are said to have wielded it as well, whoever last held it, probably wanted it gone."

Arthur agreed with Sirius, and personally, he was quite relieved that they hadn't been able to find the staff. He'd spoken with Ron when his son had returned to the Manor for the summer, and had been horrified to learn the true extent of what had happened that year at the school. He'd spoken with the Headmaster and found his horror justified. Things were worse than they had been the last time. There was no chance he was letting anyone get that staff, regardless of its importance. He took a sip of water and then said. "But, if we do find it, we must have one solid policy on what we are going to do with it. After all it cannot be destroyed if the legends are true."

The Headmaster put his hands together. "Personally, I believe we should keep it not within the Ministry and not at the school. But somewhere else, somewhere Tom will never think to look for it."

"Where though? Riddle will expect it to be kept in some place of significance, and I would find myself agreeing with him. You don't keep the staff in some common place." Sirius said.

The Headmaster smiled. "That is why I think we should keep the staff, somewhere where Riddle will never go, and where he would never think to go. We keep it in plain sight."

"Where exactly?" Fudge asked.

"In the orphanage where he was first placed after his mother died. I would think that now it is some sort of building sight, but we can keep it there, and cast a concealment spell. He will never think to go back there." The Headmaster said.

The plan was a smart one, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind. "Would You Know Who not think to look toward the places where he knows you would think to place something? After all, from what I have read it seems that he has gone to great efforts to hide his true heritage."

"That doesn't really surprise me. Voldemort seems like the type of person who would hide from his own shadow if he thought it wouldn't get him in with the pure bloods. And as he was the heir to Slytherin he no doubt thought he should ignore the part of him that was actually royalty." Sirius said with something akin to disgust in his voice.

"Sirius is quite right. Tom's short sightedness might very well be a gift for us. However, we must act quickly. Especially after the kerfuffle over Crouch's disappearance. Arthur, I would advise that you continue searching the Department as thoroughly as you can, not only for the staff, but for the other items of the seven. Make sure that if you do find something you keep it hidden from anyone else. The only people who can know about this are the people in this room." The Headmaster said.

Arthur nodded, then looked at Sirius and asked. "You are not going to be telling Harry about this?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I know that if I were him I'd want to know everything and then I'd go off and do something completely stupid that would put myself and almost everyone else in danger. I don't want Harry having to handle a burden that many grown men and women could not handle." Here Sirius sent a pointed look at the Headmaster and Arthur found himself agreeing with Black.

Fudge cleared his throat then and said. "Very well, if there is nothing else on this matter that we need to discuss?" Arthur shook his head and Fudge continued. "I believe we might well have found enough evidence to bring Salisbury's son in for questioning and a trial under the Wizengamot."

"You've found proper evidence?" Arthur asked sceptically, he knew Salisbury and he knew the man's son, there was not a chance in hell that they'd have allowed any actual evidence to be found.

Fudge nodded. "A finger print."

There was a moment of silence and then the Headmaster spoke. "I would be careful Cornelius. We both know what the Salisburys are like. I do not think they would come so easily if it came down to it."

"What do you want me to do then? We have something, if we do not use it, we would look like fools!" Cornelius said.

"Bring it up with Salisbury. See how he reacts. If there is even a trace of doubt in his eyes, then you know that the thing is genuine and you can use it. If he does not react, then I would leave it be." The Headmaster said. Fudge nodded reluctantly, after that the meeting came to an end and Arthur returned back to the manor.

Molly was there waiting for him when he got back. "How did it go?" his wife asked him.

Arthur makes a non-committal sound, he hates not being able to tell Molly the whole truth, but if it protects her then so be it. "It was okay. There are some more things I will need to do at the ministry tomorrow, but that's it."

"They're really working you hard at the Ministry. Do they not realise that you are more likely to make a mistake if you're tired?" His wife demanded.

Arthur laughed, and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sure they'll realise that soon enough. So, how are the children?"

"Good, Bill will be coming back for the Wizengamot session. Charlie's heading home as well, something to do with a new batch of dragon eggs." There was brief look of disapproval on his wife's face, but then it disappeared when she said. "Percy's working just as hard as you are. And it seems he and Penelope are getting closer. He told me that they're looking for a place together."

Arthur nodded, there were times when he worried about his third eldest son, and other times where he was very proud of him. "That's good."

His wife continued. "Fred and George remain as secretive as ever." There was more disapproval. "Ron and Ginny are practising; I think Ginny wants to be on the quidditch team next year."

Arthur nods. "Well that's good. If you don't mind Molly, I'm going to get changed and then I'll have dinner." His wife nods and so he heads upstairs, marvelling at how big the manor is compared to the burrow, but still missing the place, he gets changed and then heads down for a much needed dinner.


	38. Warboys

"During the First Wizarding War, we were caught off guard. Voldemort had infiltrated almost every level of the wizarding world over the past two decades, and no one knew who to trust and who not to trust. Friends became enemies overnight, and enemies became friends. Everybody felt as if they were out for themselves. In the first three years of the war, there were over fifty thousand deaths in Britain. Muggles, and wizards and witches alone. In nineteen sixty-nine, Professor Dumbledore formed the Order of the Phoenix. Several members of the Ministry were in it, your grandfather was in it, as was your grandmother. The Weasleys were in it, and so were the Prewetts. Everyone who had vassals had their vassals join as well. My grandfather, your great grandfather was a mutual supporter of it." Sirius said, stopping for a quick breath before he continued. "My grandfather expressed a desire to prevent Riddle rising to the top of the wizarding food chain. He did not care about the blood purity, or any of the other tripe that Riddle and his followers were waffling about. What he cared about was the fact Riddle was not opposed to killing off those who he swore to be defending. He was a mad man and he needed to be put down. My father and mother disagreed with my grandfather, they believed that if we sided with Riddle, he would keep our place in society secure. After all, we have a claim on the throne that resides within the halls of Camelot. Yet my grandfather was more longsighted than them. And it was because of him Regulus joined the Death Eaters."

"I don't understand. Why would uncle Regulus join the Death Eaters because of your grandfather, if your grandfather disagreed with Voldemort?" Harry asked.

Sirius hesitated, it was not easy for him to speak about his brother, even after all this time. There were times when he was really angry with his brother and grandfather, and times when he really missed them. Remus was present in the room, but Remus did not understand this, he was not a member of a great house, he was only a vassal, and though he was Sirius' best friend now, there were things only a Marquess could mention to another Marquess. He cleared his throat and said. "Regulus was my grandfather's spy. He joined the Death Eaters on my grandfather's order. My parents were ecstatic they thought my grandfather had finally seen the light. But my brother and I knew the real reason. My grandfather wanted my brother to gather information about Voldemort, who he was, what he knew about the old order, and how he was planning on getting it sorted. Regulus died before he could get all of this to my grandfather." He took a deep breath, his brother's death was still one of the hardest things he'd ever had to put up with, and to do. But Harry did not need to know that.

Harry looked confused. "What happened next? I mean Regulus died, but then what happened once he died? Who did your grandfather turn to?"

Sirius smiled then, he could see Lily's mind for pragmatism showing through his son now. "He didn't turn to anyone. My grandfather was the last true claimant to the throne of Harold Godwinson, in the Black Line, he did not consider my father worthy of the honour, and so he nominated me as his heir. He put forward a claim to the throne, and was tortured into insanity for it. Your father's parents were murdered as well, to prevent them from doing the same."

Harry looked horrified. "Voldemort did that? To a pure blood noble? Did he even try to reason with him? Did anyone try to reason with Voldemort?"

And there it was again, part James, part Lily, it was all there shining through. "There is no reasoning with a mad man Harry. Voldemort might not have always been mad, but by the time of the war he was. When your father, myself and Moony left school, the death toll stood at one million. The wizarding world was tearing itself apart. Nobody knew how to stop Voldemort or who to turn to. Dumbledore was offered the role of Minister, for everyone thought he could do it. But he refused, and so the ministry bumbled on, making one mistake after another. More people died. And Voldemort continued to win battles, until he turned up at Hastings, the sight where Godwinson fell." Sirius took a deep breath, he remembered that battle, James and he had fought there, Remus had been somewhere else, with the werewolves, and Pettigrew, well Sirius had no idea where the rat had been. "At Hastings something changed. Voldemort and your dad came to blows, sparks flew, and James won. He beat back Voldemort and forced him to retreat. We won that battle. And from there things got better. Until the night your parents died and he disappeared." That night would remain forever etched into his mind, the numbing realisation that two of his best friends were gone, and that he would never see his other two best friends for a long time, that had caused him to go mad. He looked at Harry and saw something like awe on his son's face.

"My dad defeated Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"He and your mum did yes." Sirius replied. "Three times in fact. Once when he tried to corner them at the Wizarding Trials in nineteen seventy-nine, the second time was at Hastings and the third time was at Gringotts."

"He tried to get into Gringotts?" Harry asked astounded.

"The Goblin King was allied with him during that point in time." Remus said, speaking for the first time. "All goblins were expected to help him if he asked them. And when it came to James and Lilly he was determined to get to them."

Harry looked daunted when he asked. "How am I supposed to beat him then? My parents faced him three times, and on the fourth time they faced him they lost. How am I supposed to do better than them?"

Sirius took his son's hand then and said. "We'll be with you every step of the way. And we know more about Voldemort now than we did then." Harry nodded, though how reassured he was, Sirius did not know. He squeezed his son's hand and said. "I promise you Harry, we will help you every step of the way. Voldemort will not win."

Harry nodded, and then asked. "Do you mind if I go out for some air? I just need to process everything."

"Sure." Sirius said, he watched as his son got up and walked out of the solar. He hoped that everything would be okay, he really did. He'd do whatever it took to keep his son safe and away from Voldemort.


	39. House of Bones

They apparated at the right spot, in the dead of night. There was nobody around, the fools had not even set an alert charm. No doubt they felt they would be safe in this manor in the middle of nowhere. They didn't even realise that there were spies within spies in their homes across the nation. It was delightful really, to think that he'd soon be getting his revenge on the woman who'd sent him out of his home and away from his mother. He turned and saw the Earl of Evesham standing there pointing at the house. A signal for them to wait. Slughorn had placed something deep down underground, in the servant's quarters, how he'd done it, they did not know, and frankly he did not want to know. He just sat and waited, listening, breathing, excitement coursing through him.

There was a creek, and then a loud bang. The quarters erupted into flames, as the bomb went off. Barty laughed, the others joined him. They were some twenty strong, pushing for the fight with a powerful family. Soon enough the doors were flung open and the Bones family ran out. They saw them there, the bodies of their servants cloaking their grins and their laughter. Richard Bones, and his sister approached. "Come out and fight, we know you are there." Evesham sent Barty the signal and he and a few others walked out, cool as could be. Their masks on their faces.

"Well, we'll gladly fight you Bones. And when you die a screaming death, we will be sure to tell the world how you begged." Barty snarled. His heart was racing as the thought of what he was going to do came racing through him.

Amelia Bones snarled at him. "Crouch. I should have clocked you a long time ago. Richard protect Hestia and Susan; I'll handle these fools." Barty could tell the brother was going to protest, but he eventually obliged and turned back toward the house.

Barty laughed. "That was a poor choice there Amelia, you know your brother could have helped you." Before the woman could respond he said. "Crucio." The jet of sparks flew out of his wand and hit the woman, causing her to fall to the floor.

The spell didn't last long though, Bones was strong. She got up and yelled. "Impedimenta." Barty was thrown back, landing on his arse. He struggled to get up. He heard Bones yell another spell. "Protego." No doubt Slughorn or Rowle were advancing on her now. He heard another spell and then another, he saw Slughorn fall down to the ground, twitching. He decided enough was enough. He got up.

"Come now Amelia, we are merely trying to sort this out simply. No need to complicate things." Barty said smiling a winning smile at her.

She snorted. "Contundito." Almost at once Barty felt as if his lungs were caving in, the crushing spell was going to break him if he didn't move. He jumped, and screamed as the pressure on his lungs disappeared leaving behind a searing pain. As he struggled to get his breath back, he heard Bones cast the killing curse, and he felt the cold hands of fear grip him. Slughorn's stout figure came tumbling down. Rowle bellowed something before he too fell to sparks of green.

Barty advanced forward, and as he did so, more men joined him, minors sent out by the Dark Lord for their first adventure. "You see, there are more of us than there are of you, Bones. You won't last."

Bones laughed. "I think you underestimate me." She waved her wand and at once bellowed. "Perdere." Half the men with him fell and disappeared into nothingness. Barty felt fear envelop him then.

As if on cue, Evesham appeared. "Illuminabant." Bones was thrown back and her body started glowing. Evesham turned to him and snarled. "Go into the house, kill the rest of them." there was something in Evesham's eyes that made Barty merely nod, he was not going to question him.

He turned and said. "Avery, Parkinson and Zabini, come with me." The three men nodded and followed as he sprinted out passed Evesham whose eyes were glowing, and then onto the house. The door was open, Barty looked at the three men who were with him and said. "Stick with me. Kill anyone you find." The three men nodded, he turned back around and walked down the hallway. There were portraits of the House of Bones from across the years, old men in wigs, and women in floral dresses, envy shot through him, he had never had anything like this. His father had disparaged such traditions and now they were all that were left of the old git. Barty shook his head, and smiled when they found Richard Bones, standing there in an old abandoned room, his wand drawn. Barty looked at him and yelled. "Avada Kedavra." The spell was blocked when Bones ducked and weaved.

"Impedimenta." Bones bellowed.

"Protego." Barty responded. "Come now, you're supposed to be better than this."

"Perdere." Bones yelled, Avery disappeared in a puff.

"Better." Barty applauded. "Imperio." Bones ducked the spell hit the wall.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Bones stated, causing Parkinson to go flying, Barty watched impressed as Bones impaled Parkinson on a sword hanging from the wall.

Barty was about to cast another spell, when Greyback appeared in the room, pushing Bones' daughter Susan forward, blood was dripping from his teeth. "Stop right now Bones, otherwise the girl gets it."

Barty saw Bones hesitate. And decided there and then. "Avada Kedavra." Bones fell as his daughter screamed. He turned to Greyback. "The Mother?"

"Dead." Greyback replied.

"Kill her then." Barty said, he walked passed Greyback and out of the room, he heard the savage rip as Greyback tore the girl's throat to pieces. He smiled, and began whistling as he walked out of the house. Evesham was standing over Amelia Bones' lifeless body. "It is done." He said simply, not quite wanting to stand next to Evesham.

"Good." Evesham said. He then cast the Dark Mark and said. "Let us leave." They apparated back to the agreed spot, where they found Salisbury waiting for them.

"It is done?" Salisbury asked.

Evesham nodded. Salisbury smiled. "Good, now go, the Dark Lord awaits you." They both lowered their heads in acknowledgement and apparated again. Stonehenge appeared before them, glittering as the Dark Lord spoke his magnificent spell.


	40. Fool's Errand

Cornelius took a deep breath and then spoke. "The House of Bones is dead. Their deaths are a great tragedy and one we can give to You Know and his followers. They apparated there under the leadership of Barty Crouch Junior, and after a bomb went off, they killed the Bones family one by one."

He had been to the scene himself, and had seen the carnage laid bare, it was a sight that kept him up at night. Marquess Black spoke then. "How did they get through the wards that the Bones family placed on their residences?"

Cornelius sighed. "This was an out of the way manor that had not been formally used for several decades. Richard Bones did not think that anyone would know of it. Neither did Amelia." He knew what that meant, and by looking at the faces of the people around him, he knew that they knew what that meant.

"So, who was the rat?" Black asked, his voice barely above a snarl.

"As of yet no one knows. Everyone in Amelia's department had been investigated before this, and they all came back clean. They were tested with the usual methods as well as Veritaserum. But nothing flagged. Richard Bones and his employees were all checked as well, nothing came up." Cornelius said. "However they were found, it would have been through dark means."

Albus spoke then. "That would not surprise me. Tom always had a way with tracking, even when such things were beyond his capabilities, or supposed to be."

"Their deaths mean that there is a seat vacant in the Wizengamot. Who has the best claim to the Bones inheritance?" Black asked.

Cornelius ruffled through some of the papers on the desk before him, before pulling out the paper that Dolores had put before him this morning. "The Selwyns. It dates from a marriage in the seventeen hundreds when the Bones family backed Arthur Selwyn as Minister of Magic for England."

"Can that claim not be contested? If we give Selwyn anymore power, he will own the Wizengamot!" Black protested.

"Legally, no, the claim cannot be contested. It can be made redundant if Selwyn does not stake it before the next Wizengamot session. But knowing him, he will." Cornelius said.

"So, a good and honest family died and Selwyn gets the spoils." Black said bitterly. "Why was Crouch there, what happened to the response team? I would have thought the aurors would have been alerted?"

Cornelius sighed, his age was beginning to catch up with him. He chanced a glance at Dumbledore and wondered how the man remained in such good health. "The aurors arrived when the alert came of the Dark Mark. They did not know where the location was as Bones did not tell them. Amelia was a high-ranking official, she had the right to not disclose her location all the time. That is a right I have considered removing."

"Perhaps you should have removed it before this?!" Black replied.

Cornelius sighed, he would argue with Black, but the man was right. He should have made the changes necessary beforehand. He should have been more forward thinking. He would need to move her before this got any more out of hand. He ran a hand through his hair and said. "Our spies have brought some word of movement. You Know Who was spotted near Stonehenge roughly two weeks ago, it seems that his supporters are using it as a base. However, he has since moved, and there was talk amongst the grapevine that he intends on moving toward Winchester."

"He is looking for the crown then." Black said. "A bold move. No doubt he knows he is running out of time."

Cornelius nodded. "I have spoken to both Alastor and Rufus, and they are agreed with me. We must summon those who are loyal to the good and opposed to You Know Who, and we must draw him into battle. We cannot be caught off guard again."

"The levies of the House of Black and Potter would be ready for such a fight." Black said instantly. "And I know that our allies will be ready to fight."

Cornelius looked at Dumbledore who seemed hesitant, but then he nodded. "I believe that the time is right for a fight. We took too long last time, now we must fight and fight soon. How are the new aurors shaping up?"

Cornelius grimaced, since Dawlish and Shacklebolt had been killed he'd gotten two new guards, and they were good, but they were cold. He had a strange feeling about them. To tell Black and Dumbledore about that though would not be right. So instead he merely smiled. "They are good, both are good wizards." The two men nodded, and then Cornelius spoke once more. "I have begun the process of moving the Dementors out of Azkaban. The Hydras are coming from Greece on ships and should all be here within the next two weeks. The Dementors are slowly returning to their homes."

Dumbledore smiled. "That is good. Very good. At least now we can more carefully monitor what happens at Azkaban."

Cornelius nodded and then he saw that Dumbledore wanted to say more so he asked. "What more do you think needs to be done?"

"I would ask that Dolores Umbridge join the staff at Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher for the next academic year." Dumbledore said.

"Dolores?" Fudge replied surprised. "Why her?"

"Yes, why Umbridge? She does not strike me as the sort of person you'd want at the school, to teach a subject that has become ever more important." Black said.

"She is related to Selwyn is she not Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes through her father I believe. Why?" Cornelius asked, though he already had a rough idea why.

"Then I think keeping her at Hogwarts and away from any of the classified material you have access to, is best. At Hogwarts, she will be forced to teach mundane matters, that will not give her any power." Dumbledore said.

"How would you ensure that she does not try anything?" Black asked.

"Through means best known to myself for now. If I told them to you, you might need to testify before the Wizengamot about violations of Article Three, Section Two of the Wizarding Code." Dumbledore replied.

Cornelius snorted. "Very well, you may have her." Dumbledore nodded, and then stood up, Cornelius stood up and shook the man's hand and watched him leave. Once Dumbledore was gone, Cornelius turned to Black and said. "Fenrir Greyback was the one who killed Susan Bones. He ripped her throat out. He left a little mark for your friend." He waved his wand an image appeared for Black's eyes only.

Black grimaced. "I will inform Remus." Cornelius nodded, shook Black's hand and then watched as the man also walked out. Once that was done, he sighed, sat down in his chair and began to brood.


	41. Slughorn

The house was dingy and dark, there was an air of death about the place. Horace Slughorn had always been one for the elaborate, so this new get up he had, must surely be a sign that he was trying not to be noticed. But of course, Albus had been able to find him, just as he had always been able to find Horace. The man before him had bloodshot eyes and a haggard complexion. Albus sighed and said. "You know why I am here, I trust Horace?"

The man nodded. "You Know Who is back, and you want my help don't you? Just like the last time. My answer is the same."

Albus sighed, he would never understand why Horace had allowed Tom to burrow so far within him. "You know that I cannot allow that to stand. Last time there was war, I allowed it, because I wanted to fight the war in a particular manner. But this time I cannot allow any loose ends. We both know Voldemort will not allow such a thing. If he has not already sent someone by?"

He phrases it as a question, but Horace's eyes widen as he recognises it for the demand that it is. "No, he hasn't sent anyone by. He's been playing patient I think. He sent a gift." The man gestured to a snake pendant on the table.

"You know why you cannot remain neutral don't you Horace?" Albus asked not unkindly.

Horace looked at him and sighed. "Yes, yes. I know Albus. I have always known. I know what happened to the Bones family. I know that he will not stop until he has it all down and sorted. But what do you think I can do? I am only a potions master, and you have Severus for that role now, you do not need me."

Albus sighed, he took a breath and then said. "You know your brother's grandson was found dead at the Bones family home?"

Horace gasped. "I knew he was part of something, but I never thought that that was what he was into. I guess he is using my family as bait then?"

"As he has always done, Horace. You must know that he will not rest until he has you with him. And if he cannot have you with him, then he will destroy you." Albus replied simply.

"But why? Why is he so obsessed with having me on his side? I never understood that! And when he demanded more than he could handle I refused." Horace replied.

"I am sure you know the reason why." Albus replied calmly, preparing the spell in his mind. "You hold one of Voldemort's greatest secrets Horace, you cannot be alive if you are not on his side."

As expected, Horace stiffened. "I do not know what you are talking about, Albus. I told you this before, I do not know more about You Know Who, and I have no wish to discuss this further. I will provide you with what support I can, but from here, I will not be venturing out."

Albus nodded. The spell already cast. "Very well then, Horace, I shall not trouble you any further." He got up then, and began walking towards the door, when Horace called out.

"Albus wait, you forgot this." Horace said handing him a vial with a silver memory strand within it.

Albus nodded. "Thank you, Horace." With that he nodded to the other man and walked out of the room and then the house. Once he was out of the house he apparated back to his study at Hogwarts, he brought the Pensieve out and placed the silver memory into the Pensieve, he watched as the memory strand began to swirl, then he allowed himself to sink into it.

 _The room was lit just as all of Horace's rooms had been, with dragon fire and silver tongue wax. There was one student stood before Horace's chair, and Horace was sat there, looking troubled. "What do you want Tom? I've told you what I know about the complexion charm, doing anything more dangerous would result in the Ministry looking into you."_

 _The young Tom Riddle nodded, and looked abashed. "Forgive me for the rude interruption Professor, it's just that I was doing some reading in the library and I discovered something that I found quite interesting. I was wondering if you might be able to help me."_

 _Horace looked mightily intrigued, that was always his problem, Albus thought amusedly. "And what was this thing that you found quite interesting Tom?"_

 _"I saw something about the Sword of Curtana. And I got curious, but I did not know what to make of it, as there was nothing else within the Library about it. I know that you have an exhaustible memory and knowledge professor, and I was wondering if you might be able to help me?" Tom said simply._

 _Albus saw Horace's face brighten at the idea. "Well, since you've put it that way, I think it would be most useful for you to know." There was naked hunger on Tom's face. "The Sword of Curtana was the sword used by Edward the Confessor, the second to last wizard King of the British Isles. It was famed throughout the land for its ability to make even the most unwieldy swordsman into the best swordsman in the land. The sword is the sword of Kings, every King since Brutus has wielded it."_

 _"What about Arthur?" Tom asked._

 _"Arthur is the only man known to have wielded both the sword of Curtana and Excalibur. He was the one true King, and he perished. Curtana however, is said to make the wielder, faster, stronger, smarter and unable to die. All the Kings died when their age had taken from them their wits, and their ability to hold the sword. The sword was lost after Edward the Confessor died, and has not been seen since." Horace replied._

 _Albus knew exactly what question Tom was going to ask next, it was one he had asked himself many times before as well. "What would happen if someone found Curtana?"_

 _Horace shifted slightly in his chair, a distinct look of uncomfortableness sweeping over his features. "Then that person would be hailed as a hero, and would have the strength and power to claim the throne that has lain vacant since Harold Godwinson died upon Hastings Field."_

The memory ended then, and Albus blinked once, then twice. He looked at Fawkes, and then at the sorting hat. He knew that Riddle was likely still looking for the sword, but the other items would need to be protected now, more so than ever. He would need to speak to Arthur as soon as he could. Sirius as well. There was much work that needed to be done. He turned to sit down when the door opened and there standing before him was the ghost of a man he had not seen for a very long time. "What is it?" He asked.

"Voldemort will be making a move toward Winchester Cathedral in three days." The ghost said before disappearing.

Albus stood there and he sighed. So, it seemed Riddle had made the first move once more.


	42. Mysterious Designs

"He's planning a raid on Winchester Cathedral for two days' time." Lucius said, trying to catch his breath back, at the same time as he was trying not to show just how tired he was.

"Why Winchester?" Black asked.

"He believes there is something buried within the cathedral that will aid him in his war. He does not say what it is, but he firmly believes that it is there." Lucius replied.

"And how many people is he taking with him on this raid?" Black asked.

Lucius shook his head. "He will not be there. He is going elsewhere. He is tasking Salisbury and Crouch with the raid."

"So, the thing he wants to help win him the war, he is not even going to be there to lead the raid? Why? What could be more important?" Black asked.

"I do not know. He does not share his secrets with anyone but Selwyn. And since the Wizengamot has not been called since the death of the Bones family, Selwyn has remained locked up within his castle. No one knows what he does, or why he does it. But there are rumours." Lucius replied.

Black looked intrigued. "What sort of rumours?"

"That Salisbury is conducting experiments again. That the Veltala and the Wyverns are being mixed with human DNA, to create some sort of hyper species for the Dark Lord to use in the war." Lucius replied. He did not mention that he had been to Salisbury's mansion in the glens to see the monstrosities being produced. "I think the Dark Lord intends to use them as bait during an attack on Hogwarts."

That caught Black's attention. "Hogwarts? Why would he want to go for Hogwarts? One would think Westminster or even Windsor would be more fitting for such a grand plan."

Lucius agreed with Black, but he suspected he knew why. "I think he left something behind when he was a student at the school. Something he wishes to retrieve. I believe it might be similar to the diary in what it contains."

"Another Horcrux then." Black said, his realisation coming just as Lucius wondered if he should perhaps mention the other thing. "Do you know where such a thing could be?"

Lucius shook his head. "I do not. I could try to question Bellatrix, but more as not she will simply spit in my face."

"You have been to see her in Azkaban then?" Sirius Black asked.

"Yes, the movements of the Dementors have stirred her interest. She thinks there will be something grand happening sooner, rather than later." Lucius said.

Black nodded. "That would make sense." There was silence after that, in which Lucius considered what more he needed to mention.

"When this raid takes place, do you wish for me to stand by your side as a vassal, or to continue in my role as a spy?" Lucius asked, finally broaching the question that had been eating away at him for some time.

Black was silent for a long moment and then he responded. "Remain in your role for now. We do not want Voldemort to get suspicious of you. For we know how he treats those he feels threatened by." Lucius nodded. "If there is nothing else?" Lucius shook his head. Black nodded and so Lucius got up, bowed, then straightened and walked out of the solar.

As he walked down the pathway toward the suitable place to apparate, Lucius found himself ruminating over how things had changed. When Black was in Azkaban and on the run, Lucius had found himself wondering if perhaps he would obtain the Black lands and titles for his wife and son. That would have been the ultimate coup, achieving something that everyone else had dreamed of but never achieved. Especially his own father and brother. He sighed slightly, that was in the past, in the here and now, Lucius could only focus on being a good vassal to Black, no matter how much it chafed at him.

In the distance, he saw Potter and Weasley talking about something or the other. Draco had told him how their relationship had become slightly better, but was still slightly strained. His son was not a fool though and was sure to come around sooner, rather than later. Lucius continued walking, once he was passed the gates, he thought back to his own manor, and apparated. He arrived in the hallway, a house elf came and took his coat, then he walked to his solar. There he found his wife waiting for him. "What is it?" he asked.

"I spoke to Llewla today." Narcissa said, and already Lucius was dreading what would be said next. "It appears that her husband is planning on expanding his reach into lands that belong traditionally to the Greengrass family. All part of his plans to grow the empire and leave those who were neutral in the dust."

"How reliable do you think she is?" Lucius asked, Llewla had been wrong about things before. He did not want to know whether she would be right about this.

"She told me that the snake had left her master. And that it was loose. Patrolling the streets and suspecting those who were turning against him." Narcissa replied. A hint of fear in her voice.

Lucius took a deep breath then said. "You and Draco will go off to Pembroke Castle. You will not be reached there. I will go as planned to attend this raid, and from there we shall see. Hopefully things will be easier once it is done."

Narcissa nodded, and turned to move, but before she did, she said. "Bellatrix said something interesting to me last time I visited her."

"And what was that?" Lucius asked, whatever his sister in law had to say, it wouldn't be good.

"She told me the easterly winds were blowing. I didn't understand what she meant." Narcissa said.

Lucius felt a pit form in his stomach. "You will leave for Pembroke castle today." His wife nodded and left the room. Later that day, once everything was packed and ready, Lucius said goodbye to his son and wife, and hoped to the God he did not believe in that they would be alright. If Bellatrix meant what he thought she meant, then they were all going to be in for a very difficult time of it. Especially Black.


	43. Desolation Of The Empty

The room was more like a tent, it was hot and stuffy, and if he were being honest, Sirius sort of wanted out already. He had never really liked these sort of meetings, during the first war, and his preference had not changed. It reminded him far too much of Azkaban. Still, he was one of the main commanders in this battle and so he needed to be alert. He looked at the plans for Winchester Cathedral laid out before them and said. "From what my source has told me, the attack will come from the Doomsday door and the King's Entrance. Voldemort will not be leading the attack, but instead it will be Salisbury who does the work for him. They are looking for something, of great importance that Voldemort believes will help him in the war."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe we should have three men guarding the tombs of Alfred The Great and King Athelstan. Whatever it is that Tom is looking for, it is likely to be there. We should have ten men patrolling the southern entrance, to ensure that there are no sneak hits. That was a favourite of Tom's during the last war."

Sirius nodded, he remembered how things had turned during the Battle of Fotheringhay during the last war because of that. "Agreed. I think we need our best men near the tombs. Arthur, do you mind if Bill and Charlie hold firm there?"

Arthur, as Viscount of the Northern Marches was sitting on the war council, and because he had experience with these battles, more than almost anyone else at the council, apart from Dumbledore. "I think that would make sense. I would advise though, that we have men here as well. After all the one person who You Know Who wants more than anyone else is here."

Sirius nodded, and felt a slight pang of annoyance once more. Harry was here, had refused point blank to remain at Pembroke or Doune. Remus was at Pembroke, but there was no one else from the castle here. "Very well. I'll keep Ted and Tonks on the case. As well as Ogden's boy."

Tiberius Ogden was a big giant of a man, with a loud rumble for a voice. He was firmly loyal to Harry, and as such would have no issue allowing his son to remain part of the guard. "Now then, we must decide what our goals are here. Other than protecting the tombs. Do we want to capture Crouch?" Fudge asked.

"I think killing Crouch would be the best possible option, Minister." Scrimegour said. "Crouch is nothing more than a stain on the ministry the longer he remains alive and out there, the more fodder the gossips have for discrediting us."

Sirius could tell that the thought of killing someone was not one that Fudge found appealing, truth be told he did not find it appealing either. However, if it meant keeping Harry alive, then he would most definitely do it. It seemed Fudge had accepted that as well. "Very well then. As for Salisbury, I want him captured. If we capture him, we can prevent the acquisition of the Bones lands, and we would have struck a decisive blow to the heart of You Know Who's war."

"I agree." Sirius said, others voiced their agreement as well. After that, the council ended, as there was nothing more to discuss. They'd already agreed on their positions. Sirius was to taken the vanguard, he was to start the attack should anything happen first. He got up and walked back to where he and Harry were staying, his son was sat there looking very nervous.

"And? What's been decided?" Harry asked immediately.

"Everything that I already told you would be decided Harry. And no, you cannot fight in this battle. You need to remain here." Sirius said.

"But, I can be of help! Cedric is fighting in this battle, why can't I?" Harry asked.

"Cedric is a man grown, and he does not have a target on his back. You cannot reasonably expect the men and women fighting in this battle to keep their heads calm if they know you are amongst them. You must remain here. Tonks and Ted will be here to ensure you're safe, as will Tiberius Ogden's son." Sirius said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Harry did not look happy about that at all, his upper lip was quavering slightly, but he nodded. "Just promise me you will be safe."

Sirius nodded and hugged his son. "I will, I promise." He fully intended to come back to his son, there were going to be no mad charges into the unknown for him, he had someone to come back to, and he did not want Harry to be left alone here, in this place. Winchester was a creepy ancient town, and one that Sirius wanted to be gone from as quickly as he could. The bells tolled, signalling the approach. Sirius pulled back from the hug, kissed the top of his son's hair and said. "I'll be back before you know it." he turned and nodded to Ted and Tonks, Ted was quite good with a sword and his mind was quick as well, and Tonks well she was an auror of some skill if Moody was to be believed. Sirius pulled out his wand and hurried off to join his men as they stood before the gates of the cathedral. It was a big towering structure, one that inspired fear in everyone, including Sirius who had heard of its bloody history as a child.

The first signs of the enemy came, on the cold wind. It was a blistering summer's day but the air was cold. Dementors, no doubt. They came swooping in, the first line of attack. "Expecto Patronum." Sirius whispered, and his patronus came galloping out of his wand throwing the dementors back. He thought of Harry and their life together, as his men conjured their patronesses as well. The Dementors were thrown back again and again, until the air became warm once more. "That was only the beginning, keep your guard up." Sirius barked.

As soon as he said those words, there was a rush of darkness, and a cackle of a mad man. Death Eaters cloaked in their darkest garb appeared. "Well, well, if it isn't Sirius Black and the blood traitors. This will be fun." The voice was Barty Crouch. The spells came thick and fast then. Sirius and his men waved their wands, slashing and protecting themselves from the onslaught of spells that came their way. Crouch continued moving his wand, casting spells that Sirius had never heard of, never seen before. He defended himself as well as he could, but one or two of his men fell, their bodies wracked with convulsions before they eventually stopped.

Sirius swished his wand and the hoods of the Death Eaters and their masks came off. He found himself staring at the mad eyes of Crouch, the empty eyes of Zabini, the death stare of Damien Rookwood, and the pale green eyes of his own spy. Sirius swished his wand and Malfoy was thrown back knocked out. He turned toward Zabini and green sparks flew out of his wand, Zabini looked as if he was caught in the headlights of a muggle car. He fell down with a loud thud. Crouch and Rookwood moved back and then disappeared. "Hold!" Sirius called out, he had a feeling something more was about to come.

Sure, enough the howls of wolves, alerted him to Greyback's presence. "Hold!" he yelled out, the terrifying primal yell of the werewolves was enough to make him shake, he'd hate to think how it was making the new recruits feel. As the werewolves approached he moved his wand. Explosions hit them hard and fast, werewolves fell down and did not get back up. Some managed to avoid the explosions and they came with teeth bared. A swish of his wand, several of them were tied up and bleeding. Greyback was ducking and dodging all the way through. Sirius saw him take down two of his men, cutting their throats completely in half. The werewolf was leaving his flank exposed, with quick thinking, Sirius swished his wand and levitated the werewolf up into the air. Then he let red and blue sparks fly. The werewolf whimpered before dropping to the ground unconscious.

The sound of more feet hurrying towards him made him whirl around his men did the same. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Moody. "What is it?" He asked.

"They've retreated, some fifty of them are dead. We've got ten of them in chains." Moody replied gruffly, he looked at Greyback and then smiled. "And we've just got the biggest prize of all."

Sirius nodded, gave the news to his men and smiled as they cheered. They made their way back to their tents with their prisoners thrown into sealed prisons. He hugged Harry and then hurried off to another meeting. "We've done well." Sirius said.

"That we have. But we were given the wrong information. Salisbury was not in the fight. Crouch and some new figure were the ones leading the fighting." Arthur said. "It appears Malfoy was misled."

Sirius nodded. "Did anyone capture Crouch?"

They shook their heads. "No. He escaped. However, the men we've captured should provide us with some more information. I shall take them back to the Ministry for questioning." Fudge said.

"Good, also, there were dementors as part of the first wave. Evidently, they've not upheld their share of the deal." Sirius said.

Fudge blanched and said. "I will look into it."

Dumbledore smiled. "We have done well, but there will be more battles in the future. I suggest we all get some rest."

Sirius got up nodded to the rest of them and walked out, back to his tent and to Harry.


	44. Camelot

The book was dusty and covered in webs, Harry had to brush them off by hand so resistant were they to his spells. He sneezed once or twice as he did so, but once the webs were off, he placed the book on the table and read the title. 'The Writings Of A Manic Sage.' An interesting title, but from what he'd heard, this was the book to read for all things Camelot and Arthur. It seemed insane to him that Camelot and Arthur had actually been real, but then again, it still seemed insane to him that magic was real, and that he was actually a noble. He opened the book and read the words from the first page.

 _To whoever this may concern,_

 _Welcome. You hold in your hands the first and only copy of the official manuscript of the musings and wanderings of the First Sage of the Grand Order of the Dragon, Merlin. These pages contain spells, historical references, and stories and legends about all that the Sage did during his long life. Please read the stories carefully, for they shall help you on your path towards understanding. And do not leave this book lying around for any to read._

 _Thank you_

 _Sir Palamedes._

Harry looked up and felt a rush of something, Palamedes, the great knight from across the water. The knight who had killed The Morrigan and Bastet, the knight who had avenged King Arthur. To read something he had actually written, well that was something. He turned the page and began to read.

 _On the first day of the solar god's life, we moved forth from the rock of Denithor, and headed toward the capital. The King was ailing and Arthur believed we needed to reach the capital before we could ever consider returning to find Lancelot._

 _We hurried through the marches, discovering as we went that there were rumours of a dark wizard shadowing our tail. Naturally we were all worried and concerned, but this was before we had ever met Morgana or her kind and therefore, we did not think much more of it. Instead we hurried through the marches, hoping we would not be stopped._

 _Thankfully, we were not. We arrived at the gates of the capital and marvelled as we always did, at its splendour. Camelot was a towering fortress upon a hill. Golden spires and silver stairs, it was a fountain of good and joy. But instead, the King was dying. Struck down by some ailment._

 _Arthur was but a boy then, and his grandfather had demonstrated all the makings of a great King. After they were finished talking, the King asked to speak with me, and he advised me to keep an eye on his son Uther, and his wife Edith, for they were not likely to look kindly on the boy who held a better claim than they did under the rules of the First Law, but not under the Witan._

 _I told the King I understood, but my failing came then. The King died before my eyes, and I did not think to immediately claim the throne for Arthur, instead I told him that we had to run and leave, before Uther had us arrested. It was that decision that gave Uther the power to…_

"What are you reading?" Sirius asked.

Harry snapped to attention then, surprised, he'd not heard anyone entering. "Uh…A book written by Merlin."

He expected Sirius to scold him, instead his father-godfather, father, it was all the same- smiled. "About time, I was beginning to wonder why you weren't asking questions."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"Well, you've taken this rather well, considering what your background was before this. I don't know, I thought you'd probably ask a few more questions, considering the huge change." Sirius pointed out.

Harry blushed slightly. "I have been curious." He admitted. "But, I don't know, I didn't want to ask, in case you thought I already knew this stuff. And I didn't want to come across as a fool."

His father came to his side then in an instant and said. "Hey…it's not foolish. The muggles didn't tell you any of this. I didn't expect you to know much about this side of the wizarding world. Barely anyone actually does anymore. And you know if you have any questions, you can always ask me."

Harry nodded, and then asked. "Is this true?" he gestured to the book. "I was always led to believe Arthur, Merlin and Camelot was just some sort of story made up by a Welshman during the English conquest of Wales."

Sirius laughed. "Well perhaps to the muggles, but to the wizarding world, Arthur and Merlin are very much real. Merlin, it is said helped teach the founders of Hogwarts about magic before he disappeared from the world. That is why the school has never been found by anyone unless they've studied there or they remember the route."

"You mean the school's not that accessible?" Harry asked surprised, he had always thought anyone could just show up.

"Oh heavens no. The school has a concealment spell cast over it, only those who attend the school and remember good times there have its location kept in their memory. Or if they are invited to the school, then they can find it. Otherwise they'd be wandering around for years and be none the wiser." Sirius replied.

Harry was not sure what to make of that. On the one hand, it seemed pretty cool, on the other it seemed pretty cruel, but as he was learning the world was cruel, briefly an image of Viktor's lifeless body floated into his head, before he pushed it away. He focused back on his godfather and asked. "Does anyone know where Camelot is? Every legend I ever heard when I was a child said no one knew where it was."

"Nobody knows where it is. When Arthur died, it was lost to the winds of time. Buried somewhere in the British Isles. Many have searched for it, but none know where to begin looking. Merlin only wrote down the name, never the location. As for others, they had their memories wiped." Sirius said.

"They really didn't want anyone finding it." Harry mused. Then a thought came to him. "You know how before; it was mentioned that you and I and Voldemort are the three people who have the best claim to the throne?" His godfather nodded. "Do you think Voldemort is looking for Camelot?"

Something flashed in his godfather's eyes. "I think it is certainly possible." There was a moment's silence and then Sirius said. "I think Merlin mentions something about Winchester in that book, page twenty I think, have a look at it." His godfather walked out of the room then, leaving Harry wondering why he had mentioned that page.

Naturally, he flicked the pages over until he had reached that specific page, and began to read.

 _We arrived at the city of Wind Chester, a sprawling city, with four temples dedicated to the solar goddess, and a few of those god-awful churches. We spend a fortnight there, and as we were resting and recuperating, Arthur told me about a girl he had met. A girl who had some ability with a sword, her eyes were green and her hair was as red as fire. He smiled as he spoke of her, and when I asked him if he had gotten her name, he shook his head, but he did mention a word, a word I have come to mean his salvation. Lily._

Harry stopped reading then, his heart hammering. Could it be? Or was it just a coincidence?


	45. Lovestruck

"So, what was in the book you read?" Hermione asked. She was surprised that Harry had actively sought out a book to read, as far as she could remember he'd never done anything of the sort.

Harry fidgeted beside her and then said. "There was talk of Camelot and about the quest that Arthur and Merlin went on. It was incredibly. I never really believed that they were real you know. But reading the words on the page, I could see the story that was being told. And I spoke to Sirius, and he said that almost everything in the book was true."

"Almost everything?" Hermione asked, there was something there to the way he said those words.

Harry shifted slightly. "Merlin mentioned how Arthur had mentioned a lady with fiery red hair and green eyes. And said her name was Lily."

"Oh." Hermione replied. She looked at Harry then, and saw the naked hope on her friend's face. The deepest desire of his heart writ plain. The desire for a son to know his mother, to know her love, to know all that he could about her. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know whether the Lily mentioned in the pages was actually Lily, if Sirius had done something to the book or not, or whether Harry had seen his mother's name because he wanted so badly to know her. She did not know, and she did not say anything.

Eventually, Harry broke the silence. "Sirius says he thinks I saw her name because, she's my mother." Her friend blushed slightly then and Hermione took his hand. "I know what I saw though." Harry took a deep shuddering breath then said. "Well, at least I know why Voldemort is so interested in me as well."

"And why is that?" Hermione asked, she had her own theory as to why Voldemort was looking into Harry, but she didn't want to bring it up now.

"Because we share blood." Harry said. "Not the blood he took from me, but the blood of our ancestors. Myself, Sirius and him, we all share the same blood, we are kin, however, distantly. And I think Voldemort is fascinated by that, because he's never had family before."

It was certainly possible, and it only made Voldemort even more dangerous. "So, what does this mean for you then?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Hermione took a moment to think over exactly how to phrase what she was thinking, but then she decided it would be better just to come out and say it. "Normally, at this point you'd be wanting to go capering off somewhere to find whatever it is you need to find and defeat Voldemort. Is that you plan on doing now?" She hated how vulnerable that made her sound, but it was true. She didn't want Harry to leave, but she wouldn't stop him if he wanted to go.

Harry looked at their joined hands and sighed. "I'm not going off anywhere, Hermione. I know what I know now because I stayed and learned. There is still so much I need to learn, and I don't think Sirius would let me go even if I wanted to."

"Is that the only reason you don't want to go?" Hermione asked, once more hating how small her voice sounded.

Harry laughed slightly and said. "Oh no, there's one more reason why I want to stay."

Her heart began beating quickly. "And what reason is that?" She asked, not daring to hope.

Harry leaned in and said. "You."

Without thinking, Hermione closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to Harry's. Harry kissed her back and it was bliss, it felt just as good if not better than their kiss that day in the hospital. It last for some time, but eventually they had to pull apart. Hermione smiled nervously, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I've been wanting to do that again for a while." She admitted.

"Me too." Harry replied.

Heart hammering in her chest, Hermione asked. "We don't have to stop do we?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so."

Hermione leaned and Harry met her in the middle, this time he was the one who instigated the kiss. They stayed like that, their lips pressed to one another, before breaking apart and kissing again, and again for some time. By the time they finished, Hermione felt sort of hungry but also quite content. Eventually, she felt she had to ask. "Do you want us to be like Ron and Lavender?" that was quite a bad way of putting it, but she could tell by the way Harry's eyes widened that he knew what she meant.

"I mean, I…I… would like to go out with Hermione, but I mean with everything that's going on. I don' know." Harry replied.

"Harry," Hermione began, their hands still linked together. "I haven't gone away after the previous four years. I'm not going anywhere now. I like you, you like me, so what's there stopping us? Stop trying to be so damn noble all the time."

"I thought that was why you liked me?" Harry teased.

Hermione swatted him and replied. "You know what I mean though. If there's nothing really stopping us, then why?"

Harry was silent a moment and then smiled. "I guess you're right." Hermione smiled and they kissed once more. This time when they broke apart they were both smiling like idiots. Their hands were still linked together, and Harry looked thoughtful. "You know, this does mean we're going to have to go on a double date with Ron and Lavender, right? She's going to insist."

Hermione groaned dramatically. "Oh no, having to spend time in the company of more than one girl, whatever will you do?"

"Haha, very funny." Harry replied.

Hermione smiled and said. "It won't be that bad, Lavender's nice when you get passed all the other stuff."

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything and Hermione had a feeling his mind was on something else. Something involving a Mother he had never met.


	46. Potter

"The person you are about to meet is the woman who manages the Potter estate and has done so since your parents died. She was entrusted with running them by your parents before their deaths. Her name is Mathilda Bagshot." Sirius said.

"Okay, and I'm meeting her to get a better understanding of how everything in the estate works." Harry said, they were in Alnwick Castle and as such were coming toward the end of the summer. Sirius had finally decided his son needed to know more about the lands he was the lord of.

Sirius nodded, there was a knock on the door, and a slightly frail looking old woman entered. Mathilda Bagshot had been old when Sirius had been Harry's age, but there was a smartness in her that had never gone away. He bowed his head, as Harry did as well. "Lady Mathilda, thank you for coming, I hope your journey went well."

Mathilda nodded and then said. "Thank you. I take it that this is young Harry?" She gestured at Harry who came forward and smiled.

"Yes, it's a real pleasure to meet you, my lady." Harry said formally.

Mathilda smiled then turned to Sirius. "Right, you can go now Sirius, I'll call you when we're done." Sirius looked once at Harry and gave him a reassuring nod before he turned and walked out of the room.

He walked out of the room and followed the hallway down to the solar, as he did so, memories came back to him. He had spent the summer here in his fourth year, in a move to get away from the rather unsavoury influence of his father and mother. Then in his fifth year, he'd formally been adopted by the Potters. They'd gone on walks, picnics, and even gone to the old theatre complex near Durham. All things his parents had refused to do with him, they'd played pranks on various other wizarding kids and the Potters had encouraged his desire to be a lawyer, though his parents had quickly closed the lid on that one. He sighed, shook his head, opened the solar door and walked in.

It was a spacious place, the lion and griffin of the Potter family was quite clearly there, on the walls, on the paper on the desk. It was a sign of a pureblood family that was proud of its heritage, but not in the obnoxious way his parents had been. Fleamont Potter had been more of a father to him than his own had ever been. Sirius had gone to him when he'd had trouble at school, or at work, and Fleamont had given him the advice his father never would have. Sirius shook his head again and picked up the first piece of parchment laid out on the desk for him.

He scanned through it, noting the important points of wand depth and the need for new regulations to prevent the growth of new competition in the market. The words were clearly all Ollivander, though no doubt Pius would want it phrased in a more noble way. The Ollivanders had had a monopoly of the wand trade in Britain for centuries, they were good, and Sirius did not think they would be hindered by new competition. He made a note of the points he would bring up at the next Wizengamot session, and then put it to the side.

Next he picked up a letter from Malfoy, he read through it. His spy was getting desperate, evidently someone was gaining information for Voldemort, Malfoy had done far too much in the interim to truly make Voldemort he was going to be a useful ally for too long. Sirius made a note of the points he would discuss with Lucius when they next met and then put the paper to the side. There would be more discussions to be had before Voldemort was done for. He wondered briefly if Malfoy knew where anymore of Voldemort's horcruxes were. He doubted it, and if the man did, then it was unlikely he would share them with Sirius.

The door to the solar opened, and Mathilda and Harry entered. Sirius stood up and asked. "Well?"

"Lord Potter knows the basics of the estates now. But I think there will be more lessons required in the future. There are some areas I think he could improve on." Mathilda said in the crisp and curt manner she had.

Sirius nodded, he knew better to pry into those things, Mathilda was very protective of her role and perhaps did not fully trust him. "I'll make sure to catch up with him on that later." He said.

Mathilda nodded. "I shall be on my way." Almost at once she said the words that nullified the charm she had put on the castle, and then disappeared.

Once she was gone, Sirius looked at his son and asked. "Well? What do you make of her?"

Harry slumped down into a free chair and sighed. "She's got a lot of energy to her. For such an old woman that was surprising. But she's clear on what she thinks I need to know, she knew where I was lacking and knew where to guide me to make the right and wrong assumptions. I like her."

Sirius smiled. "That's good. Mathilda has served as the keeper of the Potter estate since your grandfather was a child. She's been around for a long time."

Harry grinned. "I know, she mentioned that. She also said she had stories about you and my Dad when you were kids."

Sirius feigned mock horror, but he was well aware what sort of things she would likely mention. "Oh, I can imagine. She's a smart lady, her sister was a noted friend of Dumbledore's and is still around Godric's Hollow, I think." The last he'd heard, Mathilda's sister was mad, and not likely to know her foot from her hand.

Harry nodded. "I know she said. I'm going to write a letter, and see you at dinner, if that's alright?"

Sirius nodded, he knew exactly who his son was writing to, and he was happy for him. "See you at dinner." His son smiled and walked out, leaving Sirius in the solar, pondering over his youth and how to preserve Harry's.


	47. Loveless

Cornelius took a deep breath. Things weren't going as well as he had hoped they would be. Countless muggles had been killed since the start of the summer, and wizards were being wounded on their way to work. So far, they'd only managed to bring in one Death Eater, and the man had promptly committed suicide. Greyback had refused to talk, and the lack of blood was turning him into a withering mess. Cornelius knew they needed a victory, a really big victory, otherwise he was going to be removed from his post, and then he'd never be able to do anything again. He took another deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Dolores, could you send Arthur in please?"

The door opened and in walked the man who had helped him keep his job through all of this. Arthur Weasley, Viscount Melbourne, and soon to be Earl of Warwick, nodded his head and sat down. "Minister. How can I help?"

Cornelius took a breath and then said. "What more have you found out in regards to the things You Know Who is looking for, Arthur?"

"I've learned more about his damned snake than I have about what it is he is properly looking for." Arthur replied. Cornelius raised an eyebrow, and the man continued. "We always thought the snake was something he had found when he was out on his travels. It appeared from nowhere. But, my research suggests that this is not the case. In fact, I think the snake is even older."

That didn't sound good, generally the older the snake, the more powerful and darker it was. "How old is it?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"From my readings I don't think I would be wrong in estimating that the snake probably dates from Morgan's time, or perhaps before him to Morgana and Slytherin himself." Arthur said.

"Good heavens. No wonder the thing always sticks by him." Cornelius said. "Is there anyway we can kill it without risking being bitten?"

"I would advise a spell, or some sort of sword. Nothing else will do the trick. As to what spell could be used, I do not know. Other than that, nothing more has come about from my research." Arthur replied. "I am sorry Minister."

Cornelius shook his head. "No, no, that is quite alright. You can go now. Get home to your wife and children." Arthur got up bowed his head and then walked out of the room. Cornelius turned back to the papers on his desk. He knew he was going to have a very long road ahead of him. There was just far too much that needed to be done, and he was not sure how it was going to be done, he wasn't sure at all.

The paper before him, was from a spy deep undercover in Albania, where Cornelius had reason to believe there were recruitment cells for You Know Who. He read the report and felt his stomach begin to drop at its contents:

 _Seven hundred, hungry and devout dark wizards and witches are amassed here. They all swear fealty to the Dark Lord, and they treat him as a God. They are willing to kill on his command and they have practise. They destroyed an entire village of Wizards three days ago. The village is where Rowena Ravenclaw was supposedly staying during the time when she came looking for her daughter. The seven hundred are led by a man, who is more beast than human. He speaks in guttural barks and snarls, but his devotion to You Know Who is absolute. I fear they are planning an assault, not on the Ministry but on Hogwarts. They train to attack castles constantly._

Cornelius rubbed at his forehead. "Dolores?" He called out, he needed the temperature in the room turned down and only she knew the exact way to do it. There was no answer. "Dolores?" He called out again, still no answer. He sighed and returned to the paper.

 _They walk on through the streets of their conquered territory, acting all the world like Gods and demons. They have no shame, and no patience. They do not dwell on the things that might otherwise have stopped their atrocities. They think only to wreak havoc amongst those of the people who would stand before them and stop them. Nothing else matters to them._

It had suddenly become cold, so very cold. Cornelius looked for his wand, found it on his table and grabbed it. He muttered the spell to increase the temperature and for a brief moment the room was warm again. He turned back to the letter and continued reading.

 _Death is waiting for us, I fear. We cannot move without alerting them to the fact of who we are. We must remain silent for now, otherwise nothing good will come. I wish for aid, but I dare not ask it. Be prepared minister, be prepared for what is coming._

Cornelius finished reading and sighed. "By God, what is coming?" he murmured out loud.

"By God indeed." A voice said, startling him into focus.

Cornelius' eyes shot up, and there standing before him was a person of small body, dark black hair, and piercing green eyes. "How? How is this possible? You're dead!"

"Am I? Or did you merely hope I was." The woman replied.

"Dolores!" He called out then, but there was no answer.

"She won't be replying to you anytime soon, Cornelius. You know she works for him. She always has done; how do you think he's been ahead of you this whole time." The woman replied.

"What do you want?" Cornelius demanded.

"Just one thing. The thing that you took from me. Where is she Cornelius?" The woman asked.

"You won't get her; I won't let you." Cornelius replied.

"Where is she?" the woman asked.

"I won't tell you!" Cornelius replied, though his breathing was strained.

"Then I guess I'll just force it out of you." The woman replied and almost at once, Cornelius could feel the memory being pulled from him, he tried to stop it from happening, but there was no luck there, the image of a girl with black hair and green eyes came to the forefront, and the house on the hill, then the pulling stopped. The woman smiled and whispered. "Avada Kedavra."

The green sparks hit him and fell, like a marionet to the ground.


	48. Dance With The Dead

Albus stood up, cleared his throat, waited for the hall to fall silent and then he spoke. "My lords and ladies, today we gather to choose a new Minister for Magic. Cornelius was a good man, he was a dedicated administrator who worked to improve the ministry and the wizarding world for the better. He began the effort against Voldemort and his legacy lives on. His death was a great tragedy, but we must move onward and forward. To stop the greatest, threat our world has ever known." He stopped and saw the looks on the benches where Salisbury and his cohort sat, they were smirking. He felt a flash of anger before stuffing it down. "There are two candidates who are standing for Minister. Rufus Scrimegour who has served for the past fifteen years as an Auror, and most recently in the Head of the Aurors and Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Next we have Pius Thicknesse." Albus looked at the man, with his pointed beard and slicked back hair, he reminded Albus of one of those fools who used to sit beside Gellert during the dark days, he shook his head and brought his attention back to the present. "Pius has served as Head of the Department of Wand Regulation and Under Age Wizardry for twelve years, before that he was an auror for five years. The two candidates will now speak and give their reasons for running, starting with Rufus."

Rufus had a lion's mane and a thick stance to him. He was a war time leader, unlike Cornelius who was a politician first and foremost. Albus felt a tinge of grief at the death of his old friend. He pushed it down though and focused on what Rufus had to say. "My lords and ladies, we live in a difficult time. Voldemort has emerged from the depths of his undeath, and he attempts to destroy the very world we have built and helped shape since the last time he was around. He does not care for anyone but his own power. The death of the Bones family shows that for all his propaganda he does not care about the pureblood families, just as he does not care for anyone else. He merely wants power." Rufus paused and then continued. "I do not intend to give it to him. Voldemort operates methodically, but as Minister I would have the tools to unpick the method. I will not stop till he is dead for good. But I will not just focus on him, we as a society are stagnating, we are relying on things that were fashionable thirty years ago. The more we rely on the old, the more the new seeps into the dark. We do not want muggles finding us, any more than they want us finding them. We must innovate to remain relevant." Rufus took a breath, took a sip of water then continued. "I would propose introducing the Seven Thirty methods of wand approach, and governance. We can ensure better results through constant efficiency and a family environment than we can under the current system. Vote for me and you will get an experienced hand who will do what it takes to protect and advance the wizarding society we all hold so dear."

It was a good speech Albus thought, Rufus had a confidence about him that Cornelius had lacked, but whether or not the people such as Salisbury would see it that way was another matter. Pius got up and spoke. "The honourable gentleman has experience yes, but there is more than one way to fight a war. Voldemort is a man who has his insecurities and his downsides. Find those and exploit those and we shall win. His Death Eaters are men and women who have strayed from the path, killing them will do no good. We must ensure there is a line of dialogue with them to ensure that they have a way back in." Albus looked at Salisbury and Zabini, saw their smiles and he knew in that moment that Thicknesse was their creature, Albus sighed, it was no wonder, they had a slim majority with the loss of the Bones family, he would need to exercise his right to vote as the Head of the House of Dumbledore. Thicknesse continued. "We are all family, in this community. We must look out for one another. if Voldemort has gained followers, has gained power, it is because we as a society have been lax in trying to ensure everyone was heard. Yes, we have made strides in preventing the violence against half-bloods and muggles that was a feature of previous ministries, but in doing so, we have alienated the pure bloods who for so long made the bed rock of our society and our economy. If they have sided with Voldemort it is because he has offered them a voice that we denied them. We must end that, and only then can we truly win." The man sat down, and there was a smattering of applause led by the Salisbury faction. Albus looked over to where Sirius and Harry sat, and he could see the worry etched over their faces, though Sirius was better at hiding it than Harry.

Albus took a breath, then spoke. "My lords and ladies, you have heard the two candidates give their reasons for why they feel they should be chosen as Minister for Magic. I would now ask you to make the decision. All those in favour of Pius Thicknesse, please raise your hands." He saw Salisbury, Zabini, Greengrass, Rookwood, Yaxley, and many others raise their hands, he counted their number and wrote it down. Forty were for Thicknesse, that meant that Scrimegour would need forty-one to win. "All those in favour of Rufus Scrimegour, please raise your hands." Sirius raised his hand, as did Arthur, as did Augusta, as did Nott, as did countless others, Albus saw that Harry's hand was raised as well and smiled. He knew in these instances minors if present in the Wizengamot could vote, and he was grateful he had included that law some years ago. He wrote down the number and smiled internally. "The result is as follows. Pius Thicknesse received forty votes. Rufus Scrimegour received forty-two votes. Congratulations to our new Minister Rufus Scrimegour." There was polite applause, and Albus breathed a sigh of relief, they had avoided a puppet for now.


	49. Return To School

The countryside disappeared quite quickly once the train got moving. If he were honest with himself, Ron would likely admit he was happy to be going back to school. Oh, the manor was nice, but his parents were becoming slightly unbearable, and hearing Percy go on and on about himself and Penelope Clearwater was definitely vomit inducing. So, he was glad to be back heading toward school, Lavender at his side, and Harry and Hermione on the other. It was a good feeling.

"What do you think of Scrimegour as Minister?" Harry asked suddenly. "Sirius says that the man's a good war leader but he'd make a terrible peace time one." Ron smiled, ever since he'd gotten to spend time with Sirius, Harry was more knowledgeable about the wizarding world, and it was a good thing. He didn't feel jealous at all, surprisingly.

"I think Scrimegour was the right pick. He's got experience in the field, he knows how the Death Eaters think and he knows where to look for them in circumstances where they might be hiding in plain sight. And he's not just focused on the Death Eaters, he knows more about developing wizarding technology than anyone else, according to Dad." Ron replied. It was true, Ron had been to Scrimegeour's manor once, and seen all kinds of things there.

Harry looked surprised. "Now that's something, Thicknesse only just about lost. I didn't think he'd have such a sympathetic line toward the Death Eaters, considering they wiped out his family the last time around."

This time it was Lavender who spoke. "Oh Thicknesse doesn't care about that. My dad says he's only in this whole thing to get as far ahead as possible. He doesn't believe a single word he said during the Wizengamot speech. Nobody knows exactly what he believes anymore."

"So, he's just like any other politician then?" Hermione asked, causing them all to burst out laughing.

Once they had stopped laughing, Ron said. "Yeah, well now that Fudge is gone we're all going to have to be a lot more careful. He might have been a bumbling fool, but he had some sense in his head. Scrimegour is a warrior, he will think like one. That no one knows who killed Fudge is just making everyone nervous as well."

"I've never heard of someone coming into a room like that even through apparating and it not leaving a sign or trace." Hermione said.

"Dad says there was no sign of anyone even being there, or of anyone to see the Minister after him." Ron agreed, then he looked at Lavender and decided to change the subject. "But yeah, according to Percy our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is an absolute piece of work."

The others all groaned theatrically, causing him to grin, he had missed this. Harry asked the question. "Who have they decided to hire now?"

"Dolores Umbridge." Ron said.

"Fudge's chief secretary? What's she going to be able to teach us about anything? She's been stuck behind a desk her entire career." Lavender said.

"I know." Ron said. "Apparently, Dumbledore suspects she might be working for You Know Who, so he wants to keep an eye on her and away from any important stuff that the Minister might now be working on."

"That does make sense." Harry said. "If you want to know what your enemy is spying on you for, you invite them into the house and then shut the gates and light the fire."

They all stared at him then somewhat surprised. Harry blushed and replied. "It was something I saw my granddad say in a memory Sirius showed me."

"How's it been living with Sirius?" Ron asked, genuinely curious.

"Good. It's been really good." Harry replied, a smile on his face. "I've learned a lot of things that I might otherwise have never known. I think I've developed as a person you know. Plus, it's nice not to be at the Dursleys ever damn summer."

"That's great Harry, really great." Ron said. Then a comfortable silence fell between their group. Ron was vaguely aware of what was happening around him, but he found himself falling asleep, his hand in Lavender's her presence reassuring.

At some point, the silence that had descended over the carriage ended, and Ron could hear people talking. He was not sure who they were, and he was not sure he really wanted to know either, but just to be sure, he cracked his eyes open a fraction and he found Malfoy standing there in their carriage. When Malfoy saw him, his face sneered. "Ah, Weasley, glad to see you're awake. I was just telling Potter that Umbridge is gunning for him, and that he should be careful. So, should you." With that Malfoy turned and walked out of the carriage.

Ron blinked quickly and then asked Harry. "Is that what he was really here for? Or had he come to gloat about something?"

Harry laughed. "No, that's what he came here for. He's alright, or at least he's been alright the two times I've seen him since last year. But, yeah no, he didn't tell me anything that Sirius hadn't already said. Umbridge will be out to get us, because we're trouble makers in her view, and as such Sirius thinks we should act as we normally would. See if that frustrates her enough."

Ron grinned. "Excellent, I could bring Fred and George into it as well, they'd love to prank her."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. We don't want to do anything that could impede on Professor Dumbledore's investigation." Hermione said.

"I agree with Hermione." Lavender said instantly, she raised a shoulder when Ron stared at her. "I just don't think it's smart to antagonise someone when we're not sure just what their motives could be."

Ron sighed and looked at Harry before saying. "We'll keep an eye out."

Harry grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Definitely." The train journey carried on relatively peacefully after that and then they entered the school and Umbridge gave her speech, and they were all left feeling confused.


	50. Consequences

Harry's hand ached, by God did it ache. He was not sure why it ached so much, only that it did. His detention with Professor Umbridge had been a boring and painful one. She'd made him write out some stupid sentence over and over again, and Harry was convinced the words were burned into his skin. He still had no idea why Dumbledore allowed her to teach here, she was a shit teacher and everyone knew it. The door to the common room flew open and Harry sagged down into a sofa. He was soon joined by Hermione; Ron was out practising with Fred and George for quidditch try outs.

"How was it?" Hermione asked.

"She made me write out 'I must not tell lies' as if that was going to make a difference. Everyone knows that Voldemort is out there and is doing things that no sane man would do." Harry replied, his right hand still cupped in his left one.

Hermione nodded, and then she saw his hand. "What happened to your hand Harry?" He moved to hide it from her, but she grabbed it before he could do so and she gasped. "Harry, did Umbridge do this to you?"

Harry looked at his hand and saw the words 'I must not tell lies' burned into it. He shook his head. "There was no ink on the table, but when I wrote on the paper, the words burned into my skin. I think she means to make sure I never forget."

"That's against the law, Harry, you should go to Dumbledore!" Hermione said at once.

Harry remembered the distance the headmaster seemed to have put between them since the summer, how he would never look at him anymore, and he shook his head. "I think I'll tell Sirius instead. He'll be able to do more about it. Umbridge came from the Ministry, maybe she can go back there."

Hermione looked as if she wanted to say more, but instead she nodded, sensing that he didn't want to keep talking about Umbridge she instead said. "I did some reading on a few things. Did you know that back during the days of the Anglo Saxons, every time they had to choose a King, a magician was there, even after the Saxons had gone Christian?"

"I thought the Saxons were largely still magical people? It would not surprise me if that were so." Harry said.

"The aristocracy were, and even then some of lower aristocracy weren't. It was mainly the royal family, and the earldoman of highest echelons that were. So, they had to maintain a calm veneer through it all. Regardless, the staff of Malachy was last used during the witan coronation of Edward the Confessor, by the time of Harold Godwinson it had disappeared, and no one is quite sure where it was." Hermione stated.

Harry looked at her confused. "I thought to be crowned King, you had to have the three things. The crown, the staff and the sword. How could it have gone missing if Harold was considered the King?"

"Because they used a fake staff. Only the top members of the Royal Family and the members of clergy knew exactly what the staff looked like. Godwinson had never seen it before, and so was convinced that the staff he held in his hands when he was crowned was the right one. But the Archbishop of Canterbury had had a fake one made, so as to remove the pagan element from the ceremony." Hermione replied.

Harry considered this for a moment and then asked. "But, if I am descended from Harold Godwinson and he was never properly crowned, does that mean that I am not one of the rightful claimants? Does that mean that there is no rightful claimant?"

Hermione squeezed his hand. "I think Godwinson is only relevant here because he is the last member of the Anglo-Saxon dynasty to be crowned King by the Witan and be the magical King of Britain. Your blood contains Godwin, Wessex, Canmore and Britonnic blood. As does Sirius' and Voldemort's, you are all proper claimants, and as such a danger to Voldemort."

Harry wasn't exactly reassured by that, but instead of taking that line with Hermione he instead asked. "Alright, and where does the book you read say the staff last was?"

Hermione bit her lip, in a manner that really made his stomach flutter, and then replied. "It said that it was last seen on King Edward's person when he visited Dunolm. Meaning Durham, and that was in ten fifty-six. Since then the fake staff was used, but even that went missing after the Norman conquest."

"And what does the staff look like?" Harry asked his excitement growing.

"The real one has a white triangle on it, and inside the triangle there is a single black line, inside the line there is a circle. The fake staff had that as well, but the fake staff was made of oak, whilst the real staff was oak and dragon tail." Hermione replied.

Harry sighed. "Well that's just bloody fantastic then isn't it. How the hell am I or anyone else supposed figure out the difference. It's not as if there will be a sign saying that you know this thing's made from dragon tail, and this one isn't."

Hermione squeezed his hand again and said. "I know." There was a brief pause and then she said. "But perhaps you could write that in to your letter for Sirius as well. Be good for him to know." She paused and looked at his hand. "Are you sure you're not going to tell the Headmaster?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Sirius will actually be able to get something done. Dumbledore will probably just umm and ahh like he always does." Hermione sighed.

She stood up and kissed him briefly before saying. "Alright, well I'm off to bed, don't stay up too late."

Harry nodded and said. "Goodnight." He watched his girlfriend-man it felt good to say that- walk to her dorm, and as he did so, his scar tingled a little.


	51. Quidditch

Ron felt as if he was going to be sick. How he'd ever made it onto the quidditch team, he did not know. Right now, he wanted to do anything but fly in front of the three hoops that signalled the goal posts. The whistle had been blown and the players were all about him. He briefly touched the necklace that Lavender had given him before the game, it was their anniversary today, and he'd gotten her a bottle of perfume, he felt rather stupid about that now. He should have gotten her something else. He heard a shout and focused back on the game, to see Charley Bloomsdale, the chaser for Slytherin racing toward him, quaffle in hand.

Ron said a quiet prayer to a God he didn't really believe in, and waited. He remained in front of the front hoop, waiting, prowling. Bloomsdale rushed forward, and before he knew it, the quaffle was soaring in the air. Ron moved quickly, but the quaffle whizzed passed him into goal. He heard the roars of the Slytherin crowd and felt his heart sink. But before he could continue in his ruminations the game was back on again. Ron stayed in front of goal, and watched Harry whizzing around looking for the snitch. As of yet there was no sign of it. Ron tried to keep his heart steady, he felt for the necklace again and waited.

Ron had never felt so bored in his life, the game was moving so slowly, and yet his heart was racing. He wasn't bored, he realised, he was terrified. There was nothing more to do except wait, and this time unlike previous years, he was actually responsible for defending the goal, he couldn't shout at Oliver Wood when a goal went it, it was his responsibility. That just made him more nervous. Then he noticed the chasers were zooming toward him again. He cursed, and moved to defend, but before he had even moved a few feet, the quaffle was in and he cursed again. What was wrong with his eyes? He was never normally like this. He had practised and practised with Fred and George and with Harry, and he'd been fine. What was wrong with him now?

Angelina looked livid, and he knew he'd made a right gaffe of that one. Play continued. They were down two goals to nil, he needed to keep his head straight, he couldn't let anything distract him now. He made his mind go blank and focused only on the quaffle and on stopping it. He cheered when he heard his team mates cheer, Katie had scored, there was another cheer, as another goal was scored. He felt more confident now, they were level, there was room for manoeuvrability now. Bloomsdale came charging through the sky at him, quaffle in hand, Ron tensed, then relaxed. He had done this so many times before, he didn't need to worry about it now. Bloomsdale threw the quaffle, Ron reached out and punched it away. A roar sounded from the crowd, and his blood started pumping.

He snuck a quick glance at the stands where Lavender was sat with Hermione and Parvati and smiled when he saw her cheering. He really did care about her, she was something special. He focused back on the game then. Bloomsdale was racing toward him, ducking and weaving through Fred and George, as well as through Katie and Angelina, the quaffle was lodged firmly in his hands. Ron kept his eye on him and moved in front of the front goal post. He waited, and then the quaffle was thrown. It went flying through the air. He stood and then he dived, he held onto the quaffle, barely. Another roar from the crowd, he threw the quaffle back out and watched as Angelina and Katie worked together to score another goal.

They were in the lead now, and he'd saved two attempts on goal. His blood was pumping his energy was high. He spotted the snitch high in the sky, and wanted to shout for Harry, but he knew doing that would put Draco on the case, and though things between them might be slightly better, he was still Draco and he was still in Slytherin. So, Ron kept silent. He watched and waited. Bloomsdale came charging down the line again, he passed it to Nott, who passed it to Zabini, who kept going, before a bludger knocked him out of the sky. There was a brief pause as Zabini got back up onto his broom and into the sky, then play continued. Zabini had it again, he threw the ball, Ron punched it out of the air and down to the ground, another roar.

"Looks like you're good for something, eh Weasley?" Malfoy snarled. Ron said nothing, he'd seen the snitch right by Malfoy's ear, and so he was desperately looking for Harry, but his friend was somewhere else.

Malfoy disappeared then, up into the air, and the snitch remained where it was, before it too fluttered off into regions unknown. Greengrass had the quaffle, he passed it out to Zabini again, the man was wanting to make another pass at it. Zabini looped through the different distractions placed in his way, he missed the bludger, he missed another one, he got passed Angelina and Katie. Ron felt his nerves grow. His heart raced. Zabini threw the quaffle, it whirled in the air. Time seemed to slow down for Ron, as the quaffle made its steady progress toward him, it began to spin, and he cursed, spinning quaffles were a nightmare to stop. It turned and it cavorted through the air, he watched it with growing anxiety, and then when he felt he could he moved forward and grasped the quaffle with his fingertips. It stopped moving, the slow motion stopped. He'd stopped another goal. He threw the ball away and roared with the crowd as Katie scored again. They were up, if Harry caught the snitch they'd win.

As if he could read his mind, Ron saw Harry on his Firebolt racing toward the something, Draco hot on his heels. Ron watched fascinated as Harry ducked and weaved and danced through the stands and the people. His friend dived low down to the ground, touching the blades of grass, before pulling up again. When he did, there was the most beautiful sight in the world. The golden snitch. They'd won. Ron roared his approval, he punched the air and moved his broom to join his teammates in celebrating. Hugs were exchanged, and he and Harry grinned at one another, it had worked then, he had worked well. The kiss he got from Lavender later in the common room was just as nice.


	52. Dick

"I want to know why Umbridge is doing this to my son." Sirius said, fighting against his will to turn into a grim and take of Scrimegeour's hand there and then. Scrimegour for his part looked equally enraged.

"I understand your concerns Marquess, and I assure you I have sent a strongly worded reprimand to Dolores Umbridge, and have asked her to keep her means and ways to herself." Rufus said.

"Why has she not been removed from Hogwarts?" Sirius demanded, though in the back of his mind he knew why she hadn't.

Scrimegour merely looked at him and said. "To do so would to give Voldemort the impression that we were onto him. I was under the impression that that was not something you wanted."

Sirius sighed. It was true, as much as he wanted to rip Umbridge's throat out for hurting his son, he couldn't exactly do anything without jeopardising the plan they'd worked so hard to carve out. "At least tell me she is not getting paid?" He asked. If he remembered correctly, Umbridge had agreed to only receive her salary from the Ministry and not whatever she was entitled to from the school.

"Of course. I suspended her pay until further notice. Either she will realise she can't go around asking her pupils to carve their words into their skin, or she will go hungry." Scrimegour replied.

Sirius nodded, it wasn't what he wanted, but it would have to do for now. He took a deep breath and then said. "Very well. However, should she do something like this again, I will go to Hogwarts myself, the plan be damned."

Scrimegour smirked. "I suppose then that Mister Potter won't be trying to stay out of trouble."

"Not if Umbridge keeps deliberately provoking him. She went against protocol when she said what she said." Sirius replied, when Harry had told him what the toad had said, he'd wanted to go there himself and rip her to shreds. How dare she say those sorts of things to his son.

Rufus nodded. "Alright. Well I shall keep that in mind." There was a long moment of silence as they both digested that, then Rufus spoke again. "Now, as for our other plan. In order to ensure we have enough proof to put Salisbury and his allies in the Wizengamot behind bars, we need proper spoken evidence that they plan on doing things that break the law. What has Malfoy managed to get?"

Here Sirius sighed. "Not much, truthfully. I think he's starting to get cold feet. All this conniving and scheming was good for him when he thought he was going to stand a chance at getting the Marquess of Pembroke. But now, now I think he thinks that he is playing with fire."

"He remembers of course that we have enough evidence on him, to throw him into Azkaban for the rest of his life." Scrimegour stated.

"Yes he knows that, but with the dementors gone and the hydras not exactly proving to be the most useful of guards, he might well try to escape. Indeed, I am quite surprised that Bellatrix and her husband have not escaped." Sirius said.

Scrimegour gave him a lion's smile. "Oh they tried to escape. I was there when they tried. Rodolphus is missing an eye, and Bellatrix now suffers from the shakes."

Sirius nodded approvingly, his cousin and her husband were dangerous, the longer they were inside Azkaban the better. "And Rabastan?" He asked remembering the other Lestrange brother, who had been somewhat paranoid.

"He was not part of their little attempt to escape. I think he's had enough truth be told. When I told him, Crouch was alive and out there, he looked positively terrified." Scrimegour said.

Sirius looked at Scrimegour surprised, he'd heard rumours about the two of them and he was not sure what to think. "Do you think then that Rabastan is the man we can use?"

Scrimegour took a moment to think it over and then he nodded. "I do. I think that the time is coming where we might soon need another mole within the Death Eaters. Someone who nobody would suspect. Someone who can be used to give us information within and without. Someone who is not Snape."

Sirius was surprised that Scrimegour knew about Snape, and then he thought about it some more and realised that it made sense that Dumbledore would have told the new Minister about their spy deep within the ranks. However, Sirius had never trusted Snape and he was glad to see that he was not the only one. "Very well, I will start working on a way to get Rabastan to make his moves out of the cell and into the light." Scrimegour nodded, Sirius then asked. "Do you know who it was that killed Fudge?"

Scrimegour took a heavy breath then nodded. "Yes, though we do not know their name, we know what they were. A Inferi. Made life by the fires within the staff of Malachy."

Sirius felt his heart stop then. "An Inferi managed to make it into the Ministry without anyone knowing about it whatsoever?"

Scrimegour grimaced. "Yes, I have done what I can to improve the defences around here. But I also have reason to believe that Umbridge as Cornelius's secretary might well have had a hand in ensuring that the Inferi made it in, in the first place."

"We need to get whatever information we need form her and quickly then. If she can bring an Inferi into the Ministry, she is definitely more powerful than we first thought." Sirius said.

"I agree. I have written to Dumbledore and he has said that he will get to work immediately. However, if you could have your own people look into it, that would be best." Scrimegour said.

Sirius nodded. "Agreed. I believe then that we must also consider the possibility that Dumbledore might be lost to us before this war is over."

Scrimegour looked alarmed but nodded. "Very well." With that the two men got up, shook hands and then parted ways.

Sirius made his way back to Pembroke Castle, where he sat down at his desk and began to write. Remus was out, no doubt searching the woods for the remaining werewolves who were reasonable.


	53. Gather Your Army

The room was packed; Harry had not thought so many people would turn up. The Room of Requirement had been a good find by Neville. He took a deep breath, uncertain of how to start. He looked at Hermione who smiled encouragingly and then said. "Thanks for coming. We all know why we're here. Umbridge isn't teaching us anything. There's a war going on outside the school, and we need to know how to defend ourselves." He took a moment to consider mentioning Susan, but decided against it. "The first thing I need to know is what spells you guys do know. And then we can take it from there. So, I want you all to pair up and cast spells, like you would in a duel. No killing spells, and no unforgivable curses though."

There was rapid movement then, and soon enough, everyone was in pairs. Harry watched as Hermione removed Padma's wand from her hand. "Good, Hermione. Padma, to prevent someone removing your wand, trying using the defendio spell." He saw Padma nod, he watched as Hermione cast her spell and this time the wand jerked a little but did not move. "Very good." He walked on, he saw Neville going against Dean. Dean sent Neville's wand flying up into the air. "Good Dean, Neville, try loosening your grip a little. The tighter you hold the wand, the more likely it is that it will go flying." He didn't know where exactly these memories or words were coming from, but he knew they were right. He stood and watched as Neville loosened his grip on his wand, Dean cast the spell and this time, the wand barely budged. "Very good."

He walked away from them toward Ron who was duelling Seamus. Now this would be interesting. Ron was a very good wizard, and so was Seamus, but neither really applied themselves in lessons it would be interesting to see if they did so here. He stood and watched as Seamus called out. "Expelliarmus." The spell shot out, but just as quickly, Ron called out. "Defendio, incedio." Sending out sparks that blocked the spell and sent Seamus stumbling back.

"Ron, the spell you just cast, what is it?" Harry asked, causing the entire room to fall silent.

Ron blushed scarlet then. "It's a spell I made up, I think it's a disarming and repellent spell."

Harry nodded. "Alright, everyone I want you to try it." Calls of "Defendio, incedio." Went out then and some people went flying back, others were more stable on their feet. All in all though it was a good sight. Harry allowed the session to last for another thirty minutes before he called time. He looked at them all and smiled. "Alright, I've seen what you can do. I think that's good enough for a first session. You've got your badges, keep them close to you, when the next session happens, the badges will glow. Alright, off you go."

Harry watched as everyone walked out chattering excitedly, Ron and Lavender left, leaving Hermione and him alone in the room. He smiled at her and said. "I don't think that went too badly you know."

Hermione smiled. "I agree. I think you're a really good teacher, Harry."

Harry grinned and pulled her closer. "Oh yeah? You think so?"

Hermione grinned as well. "I know so." They kissed then, briefly, then Hermione pulled away. "I think we're going at the right pace as well. We need to know how to defend ourselves before we can attack."

Harry nodded. "Well I mean, now that I know just what everyone's capable of, I can structure it in such a way that nobody gets left behind." He thought briefly of Susan and how she could've benefitted from such lessons and he sighed. Hermione took his hand then. "You know, I think Sirius was right." He paused, thinking over what it was his father had said to him. "We need to be proactive. Dumbledore has his game, and Umbridge has hers. They don't really care who gets tied up in the middle of it all."

He thought Hermione might protest that, but instead she merely nodded. "I suppose you are right. Though really, I do think if Dumbledore knew just what Umbridge was having people do in their detentions he'd act on it right away."

Harry sighed. "I wish I could believe that Hermione, I really do. But things are changing. I think Dumbledore might be changing as well. I don't know." They walked out of the room then and as they did so he paused. He thought about something Sirius had mentioned once, ages ago. "Hermione, what do you know about Horcruxes?"

Hermione looked surprised, her eyebrows were raised. "I know that they're some of the darkest sources of magic known to the man, and that to create them, you have to kill people. Why?"

Harry took a deep breath, and looked around he pulled Hermione closer to him and whispered. "Because Sirius thinks that Voldemort created Horcruxes in his bid to remain alive. That's why he didn't die that night at Godric's Hollow. Because a part of his soul was removed from his body."

Hermione looked horrified. "Does that mean then that to defeat him, you have to find this horcrux, whatever it might be and destroy it?"

"I think so, it would weaken him. I mean, Sirius mentioned that he thought the diary was a horcrux, but that was destroyed. And its possible Voldemort made more than one. But the thing is, if he made them, he'd need to keep them somewhere don't you think?" Harry replied.

"Yes, he couldn't keep them out in the open, it would be far too dangerous." Hermione agreed.

Harry looked back to where they'd just come out of. "Do you think he'd have known about the Room of Requirement?"

Hermione seemed to have caught onto what he was implying. "It's very possible. But, if he did, how do you know what the item would be, and how do you destroy it?"

"I think we're going to need to go to the library." Harry said at once.

Hermione nodded and pulled him off in that direction. His heart thumping, perhaps he could do this, perhaps he could do this.

They apparated in front of the house. The woman was there waiting for them. She walked out and smirked. "I knew you would come. I've waited sixteen years for this moment. So, come, try and finish what you started."

Barty looked at the woman, she was old and haggard, she was powerful though. He would delight in killing her. He cast the first spell, and watched as the woman, old though she was ducked around it. She shot her own spell back at him and he ducked. Evesham got involved, causing the house to shake and the ground to tremble. Barty was annoyed by that, this was supposed to be his show, he did not understand why Evesham had to ruin it.

The woman snarled and cast another spell, this one hit Zabini squire in the face. His mask fell off and he fell to the ground. Barty cast another spell, and this time it hit the woman, causing her to spasm slightly. But she righted herself and sent a spell his way. It hit him on the chest, causing him to be propelled all the way back. His back hit a tree and he felt something crack. Oh that wasn't good. He couldn't stand, and so he watched Evesham and the woman duel, red and green and blue sparks flew through the air. Evesham was powerful and so too was this woman. They were both older than him, but they were extraordinarily powerful, he could tell why the Dark Lord was wary.

Eventually the effects of the spell cast on him wore off and he got up. As he did he saw Zabini's body lying there motionless, he saw Rookwood lying prone on the ground as well. This woman was powerful, very powerful. Evesham and she were still duelling, still going at it, as quickly as they could. Neither were saying any words, and Barty was bored. He watched them throw sparks at one another for another few minutes then he merely whispered. "Avada Kedavra." The woman fell, and Evesham glowered at him before barking. "Let us leave." The mark was cast and they apparated back to where their master was waiting.

They both prostrated themselves before him and Barty said. "She is dead, my lord. Augusta Longbottom is dead."

"Did you find the piece I asked?" the Dark Lord asked.

"It was not there my lord. It is at the Ministry." Evesham said.

"Lucius." The Dark Lord said, and Malfoy appeared kneeling. "Go to the Ministry and bring me the piece, and when you have it, kill Weasley as well." Malfoy nodded and disappeared.


	54. Follow Thy Neighbour

"She was a good grandmother." Neville said, his voice a little unsteady. They'd been drinking, him, Seamus, Neville, Dean and Ron, it was a weekend, and well, someone had brought beer around and so they were drinking and listening to Neville reminisce. "When I was little I never understood why everyone else had a Mum and Dad, and I didn't. I always asked her, and she said, 'You do have a Mum and Dad, Neville, it's just that some very bad people made sure they could never be here.' I didn't get what she meant, until I went to see them for the first time. I was six years old." Neville took a sip of beer, and grimaced. "It was the first time I'd been to see them; Gran had been before. And they were just there, lying there on their beds, not a clue in the world as to who I was. But I sat there and I talked. I didn't get it, and then I understood. They had been made retarded through the spells Lestrange and Crouch used." Neville took another sip of beer. "After that Gran took me shopping and we got some food. She was a strict lady, but she was a good one. And she loved me, I know that. She was always very proud of me whenever I achieved something, she made sure I knew that. The first time I got an A, I wrote to her and she was so proud." A tear ran down Neville's face then. He took another sip of beer. "She was very happy that my grades were going up, and that I did well last year. I think she felt more alive after she learned You Know Who had come back. I think she wanted to fight. She died fighting. I think she appreciated that." He took another sip.

Harry looked at Neville, and then at Ron, Seamus and Dean, none of them knew what to say. What did you say to someone who had lost the last of their family? Harry knew he'd be bawling his eyes out and then diverging to rapid anger if something happened to Sirius or Remus, or to Hermione or to anyone of the people he cared about. He had no idea what Neville was going through. He put a hand on Neville's shoulders.

Neville looked at him then and said. "When you go to war, Harry, I want to be there. I want to fight at your side, and bring down the bastards that did this."

There was fire in Neville's voice, and Harry knew he could not say no, he wouldn't anyway. "Of course." Neville nodded, and then Harry raised his bottle and said. "To Augusta Longbottom, may she live long in our memories." The others echoed his statement, they clinked glasses and as they drank, he saw Neville's eyes water.

* * *

"Augusta Longbottom is dead." Albus said, the words feeling strange coming from his mouth. He had known Augusta since she was a little girl, first into Hogwarts and full of eager anticipation. Now she was dead, just like James and Lilly, Professor Dippet, and countless others, yet he lived on, his life one more torturous breath, courtesy of what had happened to Ariane. He took a deep breath and then said. "Neville is protected by my magic and the family bonds that Augusta put on him. I thank Tonks and Remus for spending some time at Hogwarts as guards, for the time being that is necessary. Now we know where Voldemort is heading to."

He looked to Sirius who spoke then. "He is looking for the staff of Malachy, as part of his plan to be crowned King. Needless to say, if he were crowned King we would all be doomed. The staff that Harold Godwinson was crowned with was a fake, the real staff has been missing since the days of Edward the Confessor. Therefore, we must look for it. However, recent intelligence has suggested that Voldemort is heading toward the old Gaunt shack."

Sirius looked back to him and Albus nodded. "We shall be heading there in great numbers. I want you to all send your levies with you to the place. It is near the old Riddle Mansion in Little Hangleton. I believe that there is a book there that the Gaunts had that stated exactly what it was that the staff looked like and where the Confessor is like to have kept it." Plus the ring would be there, Albus was sure, and if he could get the ring and destroy it, that was one less horcrux to worry about.

The members made their agreements and then dispersed, but before he could let Sirius go he said. "The ring of Slytherin will be there. We must destroy it with fire." Albus said, Sirius nodded and then left.

* * *

Hermione looked at the book and then at Harry. "According to the different books I've read, in order to make a horcrux one has to be willing to kill." The mere thought of that was horrifying, but from the expression on Harry's face she guessed he already knew that so she went on. "A horcrux is a part of your soul, it is a fragment of your soul. And it must be stored in something that you truly care about. This is because the process of making a horcrux is supposed to be very painful. You have to make a sacrifice and store something so evil into something you care about, something pure."

Harry nodded. "And the only thing or place Voldemort has ever cared about is Hogwarts. So it does make sense that he'd make a horcrux out of something or several somethings that came from Hogwarts."

"He would need to keep the items in places that mean something to him. Hogwarts is the only place that can mean anything to him, so there are possibly upwards of seven horcruxes here within the school." Hermione said feeling horrified.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think Hogwarts is the only place that mattered to him. There is the place where his mother's family came from, and then there is Albania where he stayed and was kept alive. However, I think he would've brought whatever Slytherin icon there was, back to Hogwarts and kept it here."

Hermione flicked through her notes and then said. "There were two things Slytherin left behind, a ring and a locket."

Harry nodded. "Right, then we know what might well be in the room of requirement. Now, all we need to do is get to it."

Hermione smiled, as excitement rolled through her.

* * *

The air was thick with tension; they had arrived and found everything calm and then the Death Eaters had approached. Spells had flown from one person to another, already three people were dead. One Death Eater and two people from the Order. The levies were fighting as hard as they could, crushing and meshing. Sparks of blue, green and red were flying in the air. Sirius was keeping his hand steady; his breathing was all over the place. He took down a big fucker, and another one, a small fucker went down.

Voldemort was not there, thankfully, but Sirius knew Albus was looking for him and someone else. They kept going, burning through the ground and the world sparked with the lights of people dying and fading. Sirius ducked another spell, he was being more cautious because of having someone to come home to. Harry had written about their discoveries about the Horcruxes and Sirius had informed Albus, who had ordered a search of the school, and found nothing, though a search of the room of requirement had turned up a diadem, that had once belonged to Rowen Ravenclaw.

One Horcrux down, five more to go. They kept moving, the skies licked one another in their eager desire to bring the men down to the ground. Sirius kept going they were gaining ground. The Death Eaters were falling back, hopefully they could get to the house without any further casualties. A man went whirring passed him, and then the hut caught fire. It burned with strength, standing there was Albus, he looked as if he was possessed, but then he stopped, the Death Eaters fled, some were captured, others were killed.

The fire stopped and Albus moved into the house, Sirius followed him, he saw Albus standing there with a piece of paper and a ring, which had Slytherin's crest on it, it was destroyed. The paper was still good. Albus looked at him and said. "We must make our way to the school at once."


	55. Locked Up

"They know more about the dark artefacts from your past, than I had first thought my lord. They know about the horcruxes." Lucius said, fighting hard to keep his voice even, though he was terrified.

"How did they come to learn of them?" The Dark Lord asked, his voice soft. Lucius knew better though; he knew the Dark Lord was angry.

"I believe that Dumbledore suspected after the mishap with the diary and has been doing some research into it ever since. They know about the diary being a horcrux, they also know that there are two horcruxes that were from Slytherin's own possession. They took the ring from the shack." Lucius said, he felt a sharp jolt as the cursing spell hit him.

"I see. And do they know what the other objects are?" The Dark Lord asked.

"No, my lord." Lucius said, fighting to keep his mind blank.

"Good. Thank you for informing me of this Lucius. It is a service I will not forget. Now, you shall return to Black and inform him, that I know of his hunt. You will tell him that I am looking to move the horcruxes. If I have read him well, he will move and he will suffer." The Dark Lord said.

Lucius bowed. "Of course my lord." He made to turn away, but the Dark Lord called out.

"And Lucius, do not forget what you are still alive for." The Dark Lord said.

"Of course my lord." Lucius replied, before he bowed and hurried away.

* * *

Sirius looked at Malfoy and wondered what the man had just been through, for him to look so pale. He gestured for the man to take a seat and waited. Eventually, Malfoy spoke. "The Dark Lord knows you know about the horcruxes."

Sirius took a moment to digest this and then he asked. "Did you tell him?"

Lucius shook his head. "He summoned me in to ask what you knew of them. I told him that you knew about the diary and that you suspected the ring and locket were horcruxes as well. Nothing more. He is going to be moving them now."

"He does not know about the ring's destruction?" Sirius asked, feeling the weight of the ring pressed against his chest.

Lucius shook his head. "He does, he knows that it was destroyed during the fighting."

Sirius contemplated this, he suspected that Voldemort wanted him to move early, to reveal what more he knew. He would not do so though, he would keep his cards close to his chest and ensure that Harry was protected most of all, he'd need to tell Remus though. "Very well, thank you for telling me, Lucius, you may retire now." Malfoy got up, bowed and then apparated out of the castle back to Malfoy manor.

* * *

Harry cleared his throat. The room fell silent. Dozens of eyes were on him, he felt nervous, then he thought of Neville crying, and of the grief he had felt when he'd learned of Susan's death and he decided there was no reason to be nervous. "Right, we've learned to how to defend, we've learned how to stun, now it is time to learn how to attack. The Dementors are working for Voldemort." He paused here, there were reports that dementors had been seen floating around the north coast. "To remove a Dementor you need to cast a patronus. The word are Expecto Patronum. To make an effective patronus you have to think of the happiest thought you've ever thought of." He took a breath then said. "Like this." He thought of the end of the war, a summer night with Hermione, her head resting against his chest, his arms around her, he thought of kissing her, of playing quidditch with Ron and Fred and George, of laughing with Sirius and Remus and he said. "Expecto Patronum." The stag came bursting out of his wand and moved around the room, it did that three times before it disappeared. There was a shocked silence in the room, and Harry coughed. "Right now, I want you to partner up and cast the spell."

He watched as Hermione struggled to cast her patronus, he felt slightly worried then, he stood behind her and whispered. "Think of the happiest thing you can think of." She nodded and said the words, her patronus came to life then flickered out. She huffed, but he whispered. "It'll be alright stop worrying." He watched as she tried and failed again, she tried a third time and failed, and then a fourth time and this time her patronus went bounding across the room, she beamed at him and his heart soared.

He observed Ron manage to cast a patronus the first time. He watched as Ginny managed the same feat, Neville too, and Lavender. Fred and George perfected it instantly as well. He was happy his friends were doing well. After around half an hour he called an end to the practising. "Alright, you guys have done really well. Thanks for coming. This is the last meeting before Christmas, so I just wanted to say, it's been really good being able to teach you this, and to know we're all sharing the same desire to stick it to Umbridge." There was a murmur of approval, and then people began to file out. He gestured for Hermione to follow Ron and Lavender, he needed a moment. Once the last person had left he willed himself to think. I need a place to hide something, I need a place to hide something, I need a place to hide something. The room changed, when he opened his eyes, there were curtains and shelves filled with things, old abandoned objects, things that probably shouldn't be there. He was still surprised that the thought process had worked, he had thought it wouldn't.

He checked his watch, he had only a limited amount of time before he would need to leave. He began walking down the aisles, looking for something, anything that stood out from the wreck that was within the room. He walked and walked, but he found no locket, and no diadem, nothing that might suggest that there was anything unusual. Which in a room filled with unusual things was saying something. He continued walking, beginning to feel as though this was a waste of time, when he eventually found something. A glittering ruby, on the head of a cross dressing monk. He removed the ruby and felt the steel. The diadem, he looked at it and saw the symbol of Ravenclaw, his heart sped up. He walked away from the monk and walked out of the room, he stuffed the diadem into his robes and walked back to the common room.

* * *

They appeared in the darkness, preparing for their reason to be here. Malfoy looked uncomfortable, but then Malfoy always looked uncomfortable. Evesham strode on ahead, Barty did not like Evesham, he thought the man was far too cocky and arrogant. They never saw his face, only his mask. Only the Dark Lord truly knew who Evesham was. They moved through the rows upon rows of books and dusty manuscripts, looking for the location of the one thing that would ensure the Dark Lord's everlasting greatness.

Barty found the thing, it was gold and shining brightly, the promise of Kingship, with his mind he called out to Evesham and Malfoy, they appeared almost at once, but then so did a Weasley. He did not know who this Weasley was, and he did not care. He cast a spell, Weasley blocked it, and sent another one towards him. Barty blocked it, and retaliated. Sparks of green and blue flew in the air, neither man was willing to budge. Malfoy and Evesham were duelling their own men then as well. Barty kept his attention on Weasley determined to break the man before he was broken. He could feel his energy beginning to drain. He mouthed the words and watched as Weasley fell to the ground. He heard someone cry out. "Bill!" Then they were gone apparating away, and toward freedom, he cackled all the while.

The Dark Lord smiled when Barty presented the crown to him, and called him son. He felt himself puff with pride at hearing those words. The time was coming.


	56. Fuck Goodbye

The diadem thrummed as if it knew what was about to happen. Harry held the Basilisk tooth in his hand, the diadem was in the other, he counted to three, and then stabbed the ruby. It hissed and fizzed, the sounds of screams as if someone was being killed echoed throughout the Headmaster's office, the diadem began to vibrate, and then it went still. There was but a black charred mark on the ruby, with black goo oozing out. The headmaster took it from him and placed it on the table, where it promptly fell apart. Another horcrux down, a few more to go.

* * *

"I am sorry Dolores, but you have gone too far this time. It ends here." Albus said, the attack from the Forbidden Forest had been expected, and Albus knew exactly who had organised it. The woman before him was bloodied and broken, he knew he would resent himself for doing this, but it needed to be done. He took a deep breath and then whispered. "Avada Kedavra." The green sparks were released and hit the woman on the chest. Dolores Umbridge slumped to the ground and Albus turned and walked away.

* * *

Finding the locket had been pure happstenance, the story had come later. Harry with a basilisk tooth he had taken from the chamber held the locket counted to three and stabbed it. It groaned and hissed, and eventually dissolved. Another horcrux down.

* * *

"We have been faced with tyranny for too long. Voldemort cares nothing for the world we live in. I propose we have a King as we had in the days before, to restore the balance in the world. I propose we crown the only person fit for the crown. My son, Harry James Potter." Sirius said. There was a lot of murmuring and then the hands went up in favour, it was a unanimous proclamation with the traitors of the Wizengamot having fled to Voldemort. The coronation was arranged and Harry swore the oaths, the end was approaching.

* * *

Harry stood looking at the burned wreckage of the Lestrange vault and then he noticed a cup. He picked it up and looked at it. The H of Hufflepuff was just about visible through the ruined state he showed it to Sirius and smiled. That was another horcrux down. Voldemort's life was nearing its end.

* * *

Harry stared at the monster before him, the snake was dead, it was just Voldemort now. The monster looked scared and horrified. There were things Harry wanted to say, but he was too tired to say anything. The battle that had brought them to this place had been long and tiring and now he really just wanted to sleep. He stood and watched, Voldemort roared a spell and he did as well. Two sparks of green hit one another, for a moment Harry thought they would hit him, but instead they turned and hit Voldemort, the monster fell to the ground. He did not get back up again, the roar of victory hit him he slumped to the ground and roared with relief. It was over. Thank God it was over.


End file.
